Openly 'Mukbang' Baby Squid Cut to One-Third in 6 Years... Crackdown on Illegal Harvesting Under 15cm

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Implement Measures to Eradicate Juvenile Squid Production and Distribution
Guidance in March, Land and Sea Inspections in April and May

Baby squid (young squid) consumption was active, with content such as "Bullet Squid Eating Broadcast (Mukbang)" openly uploaded on YouTube. As a result, the catch volume has been reduced to one-third over six years. In response, the government has decided to crack down to eradicate the illegal distribution of baby squid. (Image=Asia Economy DB)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government has decided to crack down on illegal harvesting and distribution activities amid a 66% decrease in the catch volume of juvenile squid (young squid), commonly known as 'chongal ojingeo' (bullet squid), which have even been featured in mukbang (eating broadcast) content on YouTube over the past six years. They plan to focus on educating and cracking down on those who catch more than 20% of squid with a mantle length (body length excluding tentacles) of 15cm or less.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 24th that it plans to implement a 'Plan to Eradicate the Production and Distribution of Juvenile Squid' containing these measures. The catch volume of juvenile squid sharply declined from 164,000 tons in 2014 to 56,000 tons last year. Although it is considered a species urgently needing resource recovery, some distributors have been selling it under nicknames such as 'bullet,' 'bite-sized,' and 'mini squid.' The ministry requested distribution restraint from local consignment sales markets (auction markets), wholesale markets, large supermarkets, and online distribution sectors, but judged it insufficient and devised countermeasures.

The core is to implement resource management policies not only at the production stage but also at the distribution and consumption stages. From this month, violations of the juvenile squid closed season and minimum size regulations will be guided and publicized. The closed season runs from next month, April 1, to May 31. Intensive land and sea crackdowns will be conducted in April and May. The crackdown will involve the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, East and South Sea Fisheries Management Groups, relevant local governments, the Korea Coast Guard, Korea Fisheries Resources Agency, and Fisheries Cooperatives. The ministry plans to strictly apply administrative sanctions such as suspension of fishing permits and judicial penalties if violations of the juvenile squid closed season and minimum size regulations are detected during guidance and enforcement.

Starting mid-this month, the ministry will promote a public reward system for reporting violations of the juvenile squid closed season, minimum size, and illegal fishing activities, focusing on squid auction markets in cooperation with the Fisheries Cooperatives. They will concentrate on educating those who exceed the allowable bycatch rate of juvenile squid with a mantle length of 15cm or less, which is set at 20% of the total catch volume.

From next month, land crackdowns will be conducted by assigning dedicated personnel from the East and South Sea Fisheries Management Groups to 13 auction markets, including those in Gangwon, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam, where juvenile squid auction volumes were high. Joint crackdowns will be carried out between fisheries management officers and local government fisheries supervisors during the same period. Crackdowns will also be coordinated between fisheries patrol vessels operating in nearby waters and land and sea enforcement. From May, after the closed season ends, intensive sea crackdowns will focus on the relevant industries. The ministry will share information on major fishing vessels violating juvenile squid bycatch rates in high-risk areas with the Coast Guard and local governments.

Additionally, the ministry will build a cooperative system with the distribution industry and consumer groups. Workshops involving consumers, distribution sectors, fishermen, and academia will be held more than four times a year. At the general meeting of the Fisheries Food Distribution Forum, an industry-academia-government cooperative body scheduled to be launched next month, 'Sustainable Fisheries Resource Management' will be proposed as a key agenda item to encourage the industry to devise self-help measures.

Kim Jun-seok, Director of Fisheries Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "Consumer-participatory fisheries resource management policies are low-cost, high-efficiency policies aimed at reducing the consumption of illegally caught products to induce production recovery." He added, "We will continue to improve related laws and systems through regular councils and meetings."

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