[Changes from the Second Half of the Year] From September, General Public Faces Fines for Violating 'Closed Season and Prohibited Size' Rules

[Asia Economy Reporter Jusangdon Joo] Starting this September, ordinary citizens will be fined if they catch fish during the closed season or violate the prohibited size limits. Additionally, when a weather advisory is in effect, wearing life jackets is mandatory for those on fishing vessels.

The government published "Changes Starting from the Second Half of 2020" on the 29th, which includes these details.

According to the report, from September 25th, the obligation to comply with the closed season and prohibited size limits will be enforced for non-fishermen as well. Until now, only fishermen and anglers were required to observe the closed season and refrain from catching fish below a certain size. However, to strengthen the protection of marine resources, ordinary citizens must also comply with the closed season and prohibited size limits when capturing or harvesting fish and other marine resources. Violations will result in a fine of 800,000 KRW.

From August 28th, when a weather advisory or preliminary weather advisory is issued, everyone on board fishing vessels must wear a life jacket or a fishing vessel life-saving device. If caught by fisheries supervisory officers or the coast guard, a fine of up to 3,000,000 KRW may be imposed.

Starting September 1st, the sulfur content standard for fuel oil used by vessels moored or berthed at five major large ports?Busan, Incheon, Yeosu-Gwangyang, Ulsan, and Pyeongtaek-Dangjin?will be tightened from a maximum of 0.5% (3.5% for domestic vessels) to a maximum of 0.1%.

From August 28th, large corporations will be allowed to enter certain aquaculture sectors. Since aquaculture items requiring large-scale capital or advanced technology are difficult for small-scale fishermen to develop and activate the industry, entry of large-scale capital has been permitted. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries expects that for items like tuna, which require large initial facility investments and technology development, attracting external capital and integrating advanced aquaculture industries will enable the creation of added value in aquaculture.

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