Significant Strengthening of Annual Catch Limits by Fish Species... "4 Million Tons of Fisheries Resources to Recover by 2050"

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Announces the 3rd 'Basic Plan for Fisheries Resource Management'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The government is significantly strengthening the system that limits the annual catch by species to protect fishery resources depleted by illegal fishing and overfishing. The 'Total Allowable Catch (TAC)' management target catch ratio will be increased from the current 35% to 50% by 2025, and for species with declining quantities, new closed seasons and expanded prohibited sizes will be implemented. Through this, the coastal fishery resource volume, which was 3.14 million tons in 2018, is planned to recover to 4 million tons by 2025 and 5.03 million tons by 2030.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the third 'Basic Plan for Fishery Resource Management' containing these details on the 8th.

Domestic catch volume reached a peak of 1.73 million tons in 1986 but gradually decreased to 930,000 tons last year. Meanwhile, per capita seafood consumption has increased, causing the seafood self-sufficiency rate to continuously decline. Accordingly, the Ministry plans to manage fishery resources from 2021 to 2025 through ▲TAC-based fishery resource management ▲ecosystem-based fishery resource environment creation ▲expansion of public participation.

First, the TAC management target catch ratio, a system that sets the annual catch volume by species to manage resources, will be expanded to 50% by 2025. TAC targets will be gradually expanded focusing on popular species and species with a high proportion of juvenile fish catch, and fishery resources with rapidly declining volumes will be subject to government-mandated TAC participation. The goal is to raise the TAC management target catch ratio to 80% by 2030.

The scale of management improvement funds for TAC-participating fishers experiencing temporary business difficulties will also increase from 8.3 billion won last year to 9.5 billion won this year. If fishers participate in fishery resource recovery activities such as TAC, fishing moratoriums, and abandoned fishing gear collection, they will receive an annual fishery resource direct payment of 1.5 million won per vessel (650,000 to 750,000 won per ton for vessels over 2 tons).

Closed seasons and prohibited sizes will also be newly established and strengthened for species with reduced quantities over a certain period. For example, the prohibited size for the swordtip squid will be strengthened from the existing 12 cm or less to 15 cm or less this year, and 19 cm or less in 2024. The government will minimize whale auction targets and expand the development and distribution of bycatch reduction gear to protect whale resources.

Additionally, ecosystem-based resource survey items will be expanded from the current 15 to 60 by 2025, and the biologging system, which attaches electronic sensors to major species to analyze migration routes and habitats, will be advanced.

By next year, 50 sea ranches will be established, and sea forests using eco-friendly materials will be continuously created. Information provision will be expanded through the 'S.O.S. Fishery Resource Information Alert Service,' and fishery resource protection activities through various campaigns will also be strengthened. Government subsidies will also be increased to raise the proportion of excellent fishing communities dedicated to fishery resource protection from 30% this year to 35% by 2025.

Jo Ilhwan, Director of Fishery Resource Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "This plan is significant in that it systematizes fishery resource management policies centered on TAC and ecosystems and broadens the subjects of resource management to the general public," adding, "We will enhance the sustainability of fishery resources and create abundant fishing grounds."

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