Four Eco-Friendly Oyster Hatchery Joint Production Facility Sites Selected in Sinan, Jeonnam, and Others

Eco-friendly aquaculture reducing buoy usage and shell waste
High-value products like individual oysters and premium restaurants demand
World's largest export France priced at 15,000 KRW per kg
Domestic products priced 7,000~12,000 KRW... "Sufficient price competitiveness"

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government announced on the 31st that it has selected four sites for eco-friendly individual oyster joint production facilities in Sinan, Jeollanam-do, and Tongyeong, Gimhae, and Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) will promote the 'Individual Oyster Support Project' starting this year. The core of the project is to support part of the project cost when aquaculture production facilities that can be jointly used by five or more aquaculture households are installed. Applications were accepted until the 3rd, and the public-private subsidy project selection committee evaluated documents and presentations to decide to support four locations including Sinan. Each local government will receive up to 1 billion KRW in project funds. After a three-year pilot project, the support scale will be gradually expanded.

Individual oyster aquaculture is a method that helps preserve the environment by causing fewer shell disposal problems and using fewer buoys compared to the conventional method of attaching oysters to ropes and stretching them out. Also, individual oysters do not brood eggs, so there is no loss of commercial value during fertilization, and they grow faster. Their commercial value is maintained even during the spawning season, which helps increase the income of fishing households.

Individual oysters are mainly consumed in China, Hong Kong, and Europe, and are supplied at high prices to upscale restaurants and hotels, resulting in high added value. French individual oysters, which have the highest export volume worldwide, are priced around 15,000 KRW per kilogram, while domestic oysters are exported at 7,000 to 12,000 KRW per kilogram. Thanks to excellent price competitiveness, the MOF expects an increase in exports.

Lee Suho, Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy Division at the MOF, said, "This individual oyster support project is expected to help protect our marine environment by reducing buoy usage while also contributing to income generation for fishermen through increased exports of high value-added aquaculture products."

Table-style object oyster farming on the west coast. (Source: Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries)

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