'City Fisherman' Gains Popularity, but Fishing Boat Safety Awareness Remains Stagnant

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] # In mid-last month, Park Sang-yeon (31), who went on a jjukkumi fishing boat in Gunsan, Jeonbuk with his wife, decided never to board a fishing boat again. This was due to the lax safety awareness, such as not even providing life jackets. Park said, "Life jackets were only stocked in the fish hold and were not even distributed because they were considered cumbersome for fishing," and added, "There were quite a few people who did not properly fill out the passenger list." Before departure, vessels must submit a passenger list to the Coast Guard that includes the names, addresses, and emergency contact information of all passengers, but some operators omit filling out the passenger list to increase the number of passengers on board. Park said, "If the safety negligence of fishing boats is not resolved, there will be no anglers who make a second visit."

Despite the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), marine leisure activities such as fishing are rather thriving. The annual number of people going out to sea on fishing boats is approaching 5 million. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the number of fishing boat users increased from 3.43 million in 2016 to 4.82 million in 2019. Especially from September to November, it is the season when anglers gather at sea to catch seasonal seafood such as jjukkumi and cuttlefish. According to Boryeong Coast Guard, the number of anglers visiting the waters off Boryeong from September to October this year increased by about 7% compared to last year.

While the number of 'urban fishermen' who enjoy the sea and fishing during their leisure time is greatly increasing, the safety awareness of fishing boats is said to be stagnant. On the 31st of last month, an accident occurred when a fishing boat collided with a pier near Anmyeondo, Taean-gun, Chungnam, resulting in 3 deaths and 19 injuries. On the 20th of last month, a collision accident occurred between fishing boats competing for a 'prime spot' while catching hairtail and octopus in Jinhae Bay, Changwon, Gyeongnam. According to the annual statistics of the Central Maritime Safety Tribunal, marine accidents involving powered fishing vessels have increased every year from 1,621 cases in 2015 to 2,134 cases last year.

The most frequently cited causes of accidents are negligence in lookout and failure to comply with onboard safety rules. In particular, as the operation of fishing boats has increased recently, there are concerns that competition to secure good 'points' may lead to accidents. It is also pointed out that on weekends when many anglers gather, operators engage in reckless navigation at high speed early in the morning to secure areas where fish are easily caught. The Boryeong accident was also confirmed to have occurred because the speed was increased and the pier was not checked in time.

Experts point out that although the fishing population is explosively increasing, safety measures are somewhat insufficient. They especially emphasize the need for safety regulations that can control vessels if they run excessively fast.

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