Gyeonggi-do, 44 Cases of Illegal Fishing Crackdown at Siwaho Lake Detected

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province conducted joint crackdowns on illegal fishing across all waters of Gyeonggi Bay, including Siwha Lake, uncovering 44 cases of unauthorized fishing and removing 201 illegal fishing gear.

Starting from the spawning season in April through the growth season in October, Gyeonggi Province, along with six organizations including city and county special judicial police units, the Coast Guard, and the Korea Water Resources Corporation, carried out a total of 131 joint crackdowns. They detected ▲10 cases of unauthorized fishing ▲8 cases of illegal fishing gear storage ▲4 cases of illegal catch storage ▲2 cases of hazardous chemical storage ▲10 cases of fishing with motorized equipment (such as fishing and seafood capture) ▲and 10 other cases, totaling 44 illegal activities, the province announced on the 3rd.

By water area, there were 11 cases in Siwha Lake, 19 cases in marine waters, and 14 cases in inland waters.

In addition, the province removed all 201 illegal fishing gears in Siwha Lake over three rounds. The removed illegal fishing gear will be fully disposed of by the end of this month through specialized waste disposal contractors.

Furthermore, 15 abandoned vessels were detected; five vessels with confirmed owners were voluntarily removed, and the remaining 10 vessels with unknown owners will be subject to administrative enforcement by next month.

The province plans to take judicial action against 23 cases including unauthorized fishing, illegal fishing gear storage, and illegal catch storage detected in this crackdown, and administrative actions such as fishing suspension against 34 cases including violations of the fishing gear registration system.

Illegal activities detected will be subject to penalties under fisheries-related laws, including imprisonment of up to three years or fines up to 30 million KRW.

Kim Seong-gon, Director of the Marine Fisheries Division of the province, emphasized, "The purpose of this crackdown is to widely publicize that the losses from being caught outweigh the profits from illegal fishing, thereby establishing a fair fishing order. We will do our best to eradicate illegal activities within the province through continuous joint crackdowns, actively punish violations, and promote compliance to establish an orderly fishing environment."

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