1.22 Million Juvenile Jjukkumi and Flower Crabs Released in the West Sea of Chungnam

Officials from the Chungnam Fisheries Resources Research Institute are releasing juvenile webfoot octopuses and blue crabs into the West Sea. Provided by Chungnam Province

[Asia Economy (Naepo) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] A total of 1.22 million juvenile Jjukkumi and flower crabs were released along the coasts of six cities and counties in Chungnam Province.

The Chungnam Fisheries Resources Research Institute announced on the 6th that since April 19, 600,000 juvenile Jjukkumi and 620,000 juvenile flower crabs were sequentially released in the Boryeong, Dangjin, Hongseong, Seosan, Seocheon, and Taean areas.

The released Jjukkumi were individuals weighing 0.05g in total length, obtained through a spawning induction process using conch shells after purchasing 2,000 adult Jjukkumi in Boryeong last April. The flower crabs were larvae hatched from broodstock managed since May, with a carapace width of about 1.0 cm.

Jjukkumi and flower crabs are specialties of the West Sea and are considered high-income, high-value fishery resources. The recently released Jjukkumi and flower crabs are expected to grow to marketable sizes by next spring, contributing to increased income for local fishermen.

An official from the Fisheries Resources Research Institute said, "Jjukkumi resources have been declining recently due to mass harvesting," and added, "Flower crab harvests also fluctuate greatly due to illegal fishing, overfishing, and changes in the marine environment."

He continued, "The Fisheries Resources Research Institute will continue testing and researching economically valuable high value-added species to cultivate fishery resources and help increase fishermen's income," adding, "To this end, we plan to continue releasing species such as shrimp, crucian carp, and Dongjagae, which have recently shown significant resource declines."

Meanwhile, the Fisheries Resources Research Institute began producing flower crab seeds in 2006 and has released 3,919,000 juvenile flower crabs along the province's coastlines through last year. Since 2010, it has established seed production technology for Jjukkumi and released 1,844,000 individuals through last year.

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