Ban on Squid Fishing by Nearshore Gillnet Fisheries in Geoje Waters

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The government will ban squid fishing using coastal gillnet fishing methods in the waters off Geoje, Gyeongnam, to protect squid resources.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 8th that it will revise the Enforcement Decree of the Fisheries Act with this content and announce it for legislative notice until the 19th of next month.

The Ministry plans to prohibit coastal gillnet fishing from catching squid in the eastern waters at longitude 128 degrees 30 minutes east, corresponding to the waters off Geoje, Gyeongnam. Although coastal gillnet fishing primarily targeted croaker, recent expansion in squid fishing has led to conflicts with coastal jigging fisheries and East Coast coastal fisheries, which mainly catch squid.

Above all, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries stated that with the sharp decline of East Sea squid, the involvement of coastal gillnet fishing in squid harvesting raises concerns about depletion of marine resources.

Previously, fishermen decided through a voluntary agreement not to catch squid using coastal gillnet fishing at night from June to August in the sea area between longitude 125 degrees 15 minutes east and latitude 34 degrees 20 minutes north, spanning from Jindo, Jeonnam to Seosan, Chungnam.

The amendment also includes a provision to subdivide fines for violations of the Fisheries Act into 5 million won, 2 million won, and 1 million won depending on the severity of the act. Previously, fines were uniformly set at up to 5 million won regardless of the act.

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