'45% of National Catch'... Largest Flower Crab Harvest in 7 Years off Incheon Coast

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Incheon accounts for about 45% of the national blue crab catch, and this year, the volume of blue crab sales reached the highest level in seven years since 2014.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] The blue crabs caught in the waters off Incheon are experiencing the largest harvest in seven years.

Incheon City announced on the 16th that this year's blue crab catch volume has far exceeded last year's level.

Since this spring, a large number of blue crabs have been caught at the Yeonpyeong fishing grounds off Incheon, resulting in a 52% increase in the first half and a 44% increase in the second half compared to last year.

Based on the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives auction volume, a total of 6,705 tons were recorded from January to November this year. This is the highest volume since 2014, when 7,038 tons were auctioned. It represents about a 46% increase compared to the 4,601 tons auctioned during the same period last year.

The amount of blue crabs caught in the waters off Incheon in November alone this year was 1,061 tons, which is 2.5 times the 415 tons caught during the same period last year.

The city estimated that if the quantities stored in personal freezers by fishermen for private sales or to adjust shipment timing are included, this year marks the best blue crab harvest in 10 years.

The city analyzed that the blue crab seed release project and crackdowns on illegal catch distribution and sales have contributed to the increase in blue crab resources.

However, this year's auction amount for blue crabs was 83.919 billion KRW, which is less than last year's 89.182 billion KRW (auction volume 4,784 tons). The city believes that as the catch volume increased, the auction amount decreased according to market economic principles.

An official from Incheon City stated, "Incheon accounts for about 45% of the national blue crab catch volume," adding, "Despite the difficult conditions due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in blue crab catch volume is expected to boost fishermen's income."

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