The World's First Pollack Farming Ends in a Nationwide Fraud Scandal

Director of National Fisheries Research and Development Institute Recognized for Pollock Farming, Promoted to Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries

Pollock Catch Remains at 1000 Tons Even After 4 Years

Democratic Party of Korea Representative Yoon Jae-gap (Haenam·Wando·Jindo) / ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Yoon Jae-gap, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, and Maritime Affairs Committee (Democratic Party, Haenam·Wando·Jindo), revealed on the 30th that the "world's first successful Pollock aquaculture" announced by the National Institute of Fisheries Science in 2016 was merely research for the sake of research.

Pollock, which was a national fish with an annual catch of 70,000 tons in the 1970s, has recently plummeted to about 1 ton annually. As a result, the majority of the domestic demand of 220,000 tons relies on imports.

In December 2016, the National Institute of Fisheries Science announced the success of the "world's first complete Pollock aquaculture" and stated that based on this, securing an annual catch of 50,000 tons would be possible, expecting an import substitution effect of 480 billion KRW annually by 2020.

For the achievement of the world's first complete Pollock aquaculture success, then Director Kang Jun-seok of the National Institute of Fisheries Science was promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the research team received the Order of Service Merit, Okjo Geunjeong Medal.

However, contrary to the National Institute of Fisheries Science's announcement of 50,000 tons annually, Pollock still remains at an annual catch level of about 1,000 tons.

Assemblyman Yoon Jae-gap explained, "The sharp decline in Pollock catch is not due to a decrease in population but because the habitat of Pollock has shifted northward due to the rise in surface seawater temperature caused by global warming."

In fact, the decline in Pollock catch is not limited to South Korea; it is also decreasing along the coasts of Japan and Russia. Additionally, Pacific saury, a cold-water species like Pollock, has also sharply decreased from 25,000 tons in the 1970s to about 760 tons currently.

Statistics Korea also announced these facts in 2018 through press releases titled "Comparison of Rising Surface Water Temperatures Over the Past 50 Years" and "Changes in Cold-Water Species Catch."

Nevertheless, the National Institute of Fisheries Science has continued experiments to secure 50,000 tons of Pollock, including releasing a total of 1.2 million fry until April this year.

On the 26th, Assemblyman Yoon Jae-gap pointed out these issues during the comprehensive audit of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Minister Moon Sung-hyuk responded, "There is merit in the criticism," and "We will prepare improvement measures."

Assemblyman Yoon Jae-gap stated, "While the success of Pollock artificial fertilization technology development is a clear fact, the announcement that 50,000 tons of Pollock would be on our tables was essentially false and exaggerated show administration," and added, "Scientists should stop focusing on 'unscientific' research any longer."

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