'Leech Habitat' Coastal Waters in Seonchon Village, Tongyeong City, Designated as Marine Protected Area

Scenery around the waters near Seonchon Village, Yongnam-myeon, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongnam.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 13th that it will designate approximately 1.94㎢ of the sea area in front of Seonchon Village, Yongnam-myeon, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, as a "Marine Protected Area" to protect the habitat of Zostera marina, a type of seagrass and marine protected organism.

Zostera marina is a perennial marine plant that takes root in sandy or muddy coastal bottoms. Among them, Zostera marina, which forms dense colonies year-round, provides shelter for juvenile fish, and the abundant oxygen and organic matter produced by Zostera marina help marine organisms to inhabit the area.

Previously, in 2017, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries promoted the designation of a marine protected area in the sea in front of Seonchon Village, Tongyeong, to protect the habitat of Zostera marina. However, at that time, the plan faced opposition from local residents who were concerned about restrictions on fishing activities and seafood production and processing. Since then, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Tongyeong City have continued dialogues with local residents and fishermen to address these concerns, resulting in the voluntary request by Seonchon Village residents to designate the marine protected area, and the related procedures have proceeded.

With this designation of the marine protected area, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to establish a community-centered five-year management plan for the systematic conservation and management of the Zostera marina habitat by December this year. Additionally, in cooperation with local residents, support will be provided to actively utilize the Seonchon Village marine protected area as a site for ecological experience and education.

Song Myung-dal, Director of Marine Environment Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "This designation of the marine protected area is significant because it was achieved through the voluntary participation of local residents," adding, "We will work together with local residents to conserve the marine ecosystem so that our marine ecological resources can be enjoyed by future generations."

Meanwhile, with the designation of the marine protected area in the waters of Seonchon Village, Yongnam-myeon, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, the total number of marine protected areas in South Korea will reach 30, including 14 marine ecosystem protection areas, 2 marine organism protection areas, 1 marine landscape protection area, and 13 coastal wetland protection areas (tidal flats). The total area of marine protected areas will increase to approximately 1782.3㎢, about 2.9 times the total area of Seoul City (605.25㎢).

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