TAC 286,000t from July this year to June next year... 7.3% decrease in one year

Pen Shell Harvesting Added to Jeonnam Diving Industry

Spanish Mackerel, Ranked 6th in Last Year’s Coastal Catch, Included in Pilot Project

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 30th that the total allowable catch (TAC) for the fishing season from July this year to June next year has been set at 286,045 tons.

To prevent excessive exploitation of fishery resources and maintain sustainable stock levels, the Ministry sets and manages TAC within the biologically allowable catch for 12 species including mackerel, chub mackerel, squid, red snow crab, and blue crab, and for 14 fishing sectors such as large purse seine, pair trawl large trawl, coastal jigging, coastal trap, and diving.

In this fishing season, the Jeonnam diving sector harvesting pen shell has been newly added, and Spanish mackerel, which ranked 6th in last year’s coastal catch volume, has been included in the pilot project species. However, due to a decrease in the stock of squid and mackerel, which were the main species in the previous season, this season’s TAC has been reduced by 7.3% compared to the previous season (308,735 tons).

The TAC pilot project, applied since last year to cutlassfish and yellow croaker, now includes Spanish mackerel, covering three species. The Spanish mackerel TAC pilot project targets sectors with a high catch proportion of Spanish mackerel, such as large purse seine, pair trawl large bottom trawl, and southwestern sea medium bottom trawl. The Ministry plans to continue promoting awareness among fishers and improving the system so that these species can be transitioned to full projects in the next fishing season.

Additionally, to activate TAC, the Ministry simplified the export process by recognizing exceptions when the catch volume can be verified through certificates issued by customs or other national agencies when exporting TAC catch overseas. Furthermore, to increase TAC utilization rates and strengthen local governments’ resource management roles, species with a TAC utilization rate below 60% in the previous season are now clearly regulated to allow local governments to secure reserved amounts within 10% of their allocated quota and redistribute them to vessels with higher utilization rates. Institutional improvements were also made to promote the transfer of TAC quotas among fishers, known as 'jeonbae.' Previously, quota transfers could only be reflected in the next TAC allocation if the species utilization rate was above 80%. However, going forward, even if the utilization rate is below 80%, as long as it matches the previous season’s utilization level, transferred quotas can be reflected in the next season’s TAC allocation.

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