Three out of ten domestic fishing vessels are aged 21 years or older

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Announces 2020 Registered Fishing Vessel Statistics

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] It has been revealed that three out of every ten registered fishing vessels in South Korea are old ships aged 21 years or more.

According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' '2020 Registered Fishing Vessel Statistics' released on the 31st, the number of registered fishing vessels at the end of last year was 65,744, down 91 vessels from the previous year. Among them, coastal fishing vessels decreased by 578 vessels to 39,884 compared to the same period last year.

The number of fishing vessels aged 21 years or older among registered vessels was 19,841, accounting for 30.2% of the total. This is an increase of 3.2 percentage points from last year (17,771 vessels). This indicates that the aging of fishing vessels is becoming more severe.

By vessel size, vessels under 5 tons numbered 52,815, down 237 vessels, and vessels 50 tons or more numbered 1,219, down 74 vessels. Vessels between 5 tons and under 50 tons increased by 220 vessels to 11,710.

By type of fishery, coastal fishing vessels accounted for the largest share with 37,271 vessels (56.7%). They were followed by aquaculture vessels (18,707 vessels), inland water vessels (3,081 vessels), and offshore vessels (2,613 vessels).

The majority of fishing vessels were made of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), totaling 63,334 vessels (96.3%). Wooden and steel vessels decreased by 131 and 72 vessels, respectively.

By province, Jeollanam-do had the highest number of registered fishing vessels with 27,966 vessels (42.5%). The number of registered fishing vessels increased in Incheon, Ulsan, Chungbuk, and Jeonnam, while it decreased in Busan, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, Gyeongbuk, Gyeongnam, and Jeju.

An Yong-woon, Director of the Fisheries Safety Policy Division at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "We will effectively utilize the registered fishing vessel statistics for vessel reduction projects and resource management policies, while striving to improve vessel safety management and modernization."

Source=Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

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