Is a Bountiful Era of 'Badainsam' Coming to the Coastal Waters off Gijang, Busan?

Gijang-gun Seaweed Breeding Convergence Research Center Achieves First Success in Sea Cucumber Seed Production and Research
20,000 Juvenile Sea Cucumbers Released on the 13th... Smooth Progress in 'Sowing' Work for the Sea's Ginseng Field

On the morning of October 13, the Seaweed Breeding Convergence Research Center in Gijang-gun, Busan, is releasing 20,000 juvenile sea cucumbers into the coastal waters of Gijang.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The first ‘seeding operation’ to cultivate the waters off Gijang, Busan, into a ‘ginseng field of the sea’ has been carried out.

The Busan Gijang Seaweed Breeding Convergence Research Center released 20,000 sea cucumber seeds, produced independently using broodstock collected from the Gijang waters, into two coastal village fishing grounds in Gijang on the morning of the 13th.

The center secured sea cucumber broodstock inhabiting the coastal waters of Icheon-ri, Ilgwang-myeon, Gijang-gun in June and induced spawning.

Over about four months until October, the sea cucumber seeds were successfully cultivated in the seed breeding facility, growing through planktonic larval and settlement stages to a suitable size of 5g for release.

This year marked the first attempt at sea cucumber seed production research, focusing on establishing a production system, with a production volume reaching approximately 20,000 seeds. For efficient growth monitoring in the waters, the seeds were released into two village fishing grounds of the Icheon-ri fishing cooperative near the center.

Starting next year, Gijang-gun plans to expand production and release seeds into all coastal village fishing grounds throughout Gijang.

Sea cucumber seeds produced at the Seed Cultivation Building of the Marine Algae Breeding Convergence Research Center in Gijang-gun, Busan.

Sea cucumbers are nutritionally excellent and were historically used as medicinal herbs, earning them the nickname ‘ginseng of the sea.’ They are distributed along the entire Korean coastline and play a useful role as decomposers by feeding on organic matter on the seabed.

They are a high-value species (25,000 to 30,000 KRW per kg) suitable not only for protecting seaweed resources but also for improving the marine environment, contributing to the maintenance of coastal ecosystems and increasing the income of local fishermen.

A representative of the Gijang Research Center said, “Due to climate change and other factors, changes in fishery resources are severe, leading to decreased fishing income. We will devote efforts to research on developing various seed varieties to maintain a healthy ecosystem in the Gijang coastal area and increase the income of local fishermen.”

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