Haenam-gun Makes All-Out Efforts to Restore Yellowing Phenomenon in Local Aquaculture Farms

Myeonhyeongwan Haenam County Governor Conducts On-Site Inspection and Urgently Deploys County Funds to Prevent Damage Spread

Haenam County is making every effort to restore the damaged local aquaculture farms through on-site inspections. Photo by Haenam County

[Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun] Haenam County in Jeollanam-do has rolled up its sleeves to control and restore the damage as the yellowing phenomenon occurring in local Gim (laver) farms has spread to kelp farms.

On the 8th, according to the county, the damage scale of kelp blade tip yellowing and detachment occurring mainly in the sea areas of Songji and Hwasan-myeon in Haenam is being investigated as 152 hectares (4,430 lines) across 3 fishing cooperatives, amounting to 88 million KRW.

This damage is presumed to have occurred due to a decrease in nutrient salt concentration caused by a massive outbreak of phytoplankton (diatoms), similar to the cause of the yellowing damage in Gim. A joint investigation with the National Institute of Fisheries Science's Fisheries Seed Breeding Research Institute and the Jeollanam-do Marine and Fisheries Science Institute will be conducted to identify the exact cause.

County Governor Myeong Hyun-gwan visited the kelp blade yellowing and detachment damage area on the 8th, directly checked the kelp showing tip yellowing, and comforted the affected fishermen who were in despair.

After inspecting the damage site, Governor Myeong said, "During these difficult times due to COVID-19, I feel heavy-hearted that damage has occurred not only to Gim farms but also to kelp farms. We will closely cooperate with related organizations to ensure that the damage does not spread further and that recovery can proceed swiftly through prompt support."

Currently, the status of kelp farming facilities in Haenam is 1,019 hectares and 39,934 lines, with 240 fishing households mostly consuming it themselves as feed for abalone. To produce high-quality abalone, the county has also supported 40 million KRW for 4,000 superior kelp seedlings and 4.5 million KRW for 450 gompi (a type of seaweed), totaling 138 million KRW in project expenses.

The damage scale of the previously occurred yellowing in Gim, as of the 8th, has reached 2,874 hectares (57,479 books) across 29 fishing cooperatives, with the damage amount estimated at approximately 15.634 billion KRW.

Accordingly, the county is swiftly proceeding with the collection and restoration of Gim by supporting 300 million KRW for controlling Gim shipment (Gim disposal) and 252 million KRW for chartering fishing vessels to collect yellowed Gim.

Haenam＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Hyun kh0424@asiae.co.kr

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