Gyeonggi-do Intensifies Crackdown on Illegal Sea Fishing Activities... Until the 20th of Next Month

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province will conduct a special crackdown on illegal fishing activities in the sea. This is part of Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung's directive to create a "Clean Gyeonggi Sea."

Accordingly, the province will carry out a special crackdown on illegal fishing activities, including the capture of juvenile fish, until the 20th of next month. The crackdown began on the 29th of last month, and a total of four cases have already been detected through this operation.

The special crackdown targets five coastal cities and counties: Ansan, Hwaseong, Siheung, Gimpo, and Pyeongtaek.

The crackdown involves the Provincial Civil Special Judicial Police and officials from the respective cities and counties. The enforcement hours are during early mornings and weekends.

In particular, the province has permanently deployed fishery patrol vessels in waters near Gukhwado, which borders Chungnam Province, and is conducting focused crackdowns on docked fishing vessels at major ports and harbors.

The main targets of the crackdown include ▲ capturing juvenile fish in violation of prohibited size limits ▲ unauthorized fishing activities ▲ fishing operations that cross city or provincial boundaries ▲ manufacturing illegal fishing gear such as triple-layer gill nets (a tool made by overlapping three nets with different mesh sizes and thread thicknesses that can catch juvenile fish), as well as possessing or selling illegally caught fish.

According to current fisheries-related laws, illegal fishing can result in "up to three years imprisonment or fines up to 30 million KRW," along with administrative penalties such as cancellation of fishing permits or suspension of fishing activities.

Lee Sang-woo, head of the Provincial Marine Fisheries Division, emphasized, "We will conduct focused crackdowns during vulnerable times for illegal fishing, such as early mornings and weekends, to establish a fair fishing order so that law-abiding fishermen do not suffer losses."

The province plans to continue enforcement operations in the second half of the year, aligned with the fish growth period.

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