Coast Guard Cheong to Eradicate Illegal Whale Species Hunting... Regional Crackdowns Considering Ecology

Guidelines Established to Strengthen Handling of Mixed-Catch Whale Species

Ships illegally capturing whales are being detected by aircraft. [Provided by the Korea Coast Guard]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The Korea Coast Guard has prepared and is implementing on-site work improvement measures to eradicate the continuous cases of illegal whale hunting.

According to the Coast Guard on the 16th, there are currently about 89 species of whales worldwide, and a total of 35 species of whales, including protected species such as the gray whale and the finless porpoise, inhabit domestic waters.

Korea has prohibited commercial whale hunting since 1986, and the distribution of protected whale species is also prohibited.

However, over the past five years, a total of 54 whales have been illegally captured in Korean waters, and violations continue to occur. Accordingly, the Coast Guard has decided to actively respond by preparing on-site work improvement measures to protect whales and eradicate illegal hunting.

First, moving away from the existing nationwide simultaneous crackdowns, regional enforcement plans considering ecological factors such as whale habitation periods will be established and implemented. According to this plan, strong enforcement will be carried out through close information sharing among the situation room, patrol vessels, police stations, and aircraft on site.

Additionally, to support the prompt and lawful handling by on-site officers, separate handling guidelines for bycaught whales (whales incidentally caught during fishing activities) will be prepared.

A Coast Guard official stated, "We expect that the work improvements will significantly strengthen our capacity to crack down on illegal hunting," and added, "We will do our best to protect whales by strictly punishing violations related to whales."

Meanwhile, illegal whale hunting is punishable by up to three years imprisonment or a fine of up to 30 million won under the Fisheries Act. Possession or sale of illegally captured whales is also punishable by up to two years imprisonment or a fine of up to 20 million won under the Fisheries Resources Management Act.

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