Last Year’s Coastal Fisheries Production 914,000 Tons... Decreased by 9.7% Compared to Previous Year Due to Water Temperature Changes

Monthly Coastal Fisheries Production Trends (Unit: t)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 5th that the production volume of coastal fisheries last year was 914,000 tons, a 9.7% decrease compared to the same period the previous year.

The production volume by major species was 172,000 tons of anchovy, 101,000 tons of mackerel, 52,000 tons of squid, 43,000 tons each of hairtail and horse mackerel, 38,000 tons of Spanish mackerel, and 26,000 tons of yellow croaker.

Production increased by 59% for horse mackerel, 19% for flatfish species, and 18% for Spanish mackerel. Anchovy, squid, hairtail, yellow croaker, herring, and blue crab maintained production levels similar to the previous year. Mackerel and red snow crab production decreased by 28% and 22%, respectively.

Horse mackerel production increased from August to October in the coastal waters near Jeju as large purse seine vessels focused on catching horse mackerel instead of mackerel. After October, production sharply increased in set nets and coastal gill nets in Gangwon and Gyeongbuk regions due to high water temperatures (0.5 to 1.5℃ above average) along the entire southern and eastern coasts.

Flatfish species saw increased catches in Ulsan and Gangwon regions' bottom trawl and gill net fisheries during the winter season (January to March) as fish schools migrated to the East Sea coast.

Spanish mackerel catches increased compared to the previous year due to the influence of high water temperatures in the northern East China Sea during winter to spring (January to May), which increased the fish schools wintering around Jeju waters.

Squid, whose catches have recently sharply declined, showed favorable fishing conditions in the East Sea and West Sea (summer) during the first half of the year, increasing by 73% compared to the same period last year until September. However, catches sharply decreased in the East Sea after October, the main fishing season, resulting in production remaining at the previous year's level.

On the other hand, mackerel production decreased compared to the previous year due to frequent typhoons and other adverse weather conditions, as well as the dispersion of fish schools caused by low-temperature zones (1 to 2℃ below average) formed around Jeju and the southern West Sea from July to September, the main fishing grounds.

Meanwhile, the production value of coastal fisheries last year was 3.9572 trillion won, a 4.3% decrease from the previous year (4.1361 trillion won).

Jo Il-hwan, Director of Fisheries Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "Difficulties in coastal fisheries continue due to changes in the marine environment and resource depletion," adding, "We will continue efforts to restore fishery resources through strengthening total allowable catch (TAC), reducing coastal fishing vessels, and cracking down on illegal fishing."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.