The government will unilaterally set the total allowable catch due to rapidly declining fishery resources

Amendment of the Fisheries Resource Management Act and Its Enforcement Rules

Exceptionally Omitting Deliberation Procedures of the Fisheries Resource Management Committee for Urgently Protected Fisheries Resources

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] From now on, the government will be able to designate target species and industries ex officio and set and manage Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for fisheries resources whose stock has sharply declined. TAC is the allowable catch volume permitted annually by species and industry.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 24th that it will revise the Enforcement Rules of the Fisheries Resources Management Act and implement them from the 25th to effectively manage fisheries resources.

Korea first set TAC for four species including mackerel and horse mackerel in 1999. Since then, as of the end of August this year, the number of applicable species has expanded and operated up to 12. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries establishes the target species and industries, approval procedures, and operation and management plans annually, and finalizes the TAC plan through deliberation by the Fisheries Resource Management Committee.

However, to prevent indiscriminate fishing and maintain sustainable fisheries, there have been continuous opinions that TAC should be decided promptly in special situations. Accordingly, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries improved the procedure so that when it is urgently necessary to protect fisheries resources, such as when the fisheries resources sharply decline based on precise investigation and evaluation results, the committee’s deliberation procedure can be exceptionally omitted to promptly decide TAC. Cases where the committee’s deliberation can be omitted include: ▲species whose current stock has decreased by 30% or more compared to the appropriate stock based on precise investigation and evaluation results of fisheries resources ▲species whose average catch over the past three years is 70% or less of the average catch over the past ten years ▲industries not participating in TAC that have caught more than 10% of the average catch of TAC-managed species over the past three years ▲industries not participating in TAC whose catch ratio of TAC-managed species has increased by 100% or more compared to the previous year ▲species or industries that have conducted TAC pilot implementation for two years or more.

Choi Yong-seok, Director of Fisheries Resource Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "According to the 'Fisheries Innovation 2030 Plan' announced last February, we are gradually expanding the target species and industries to increase the coastal catch of TAC-managed species by more than 50% by 2022," adding, "Since the recovery of fisheries resources is for all of us, we hope fishermen and the public will take an interest and actively participate."

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