Shinan-gun's Prompt Response to the Influx of Gaengsaengi Mozaban Seaweed

Initial Response Budget Allocated 1.99 Billion KRW for Marine Debris Cleanup Project

[Sinan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-kyung] Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do is making every effort to prevent damage by responding quickly as the influx of Sargassum horneri has increased due to the influence of wind and ocean currents.

The amount of Sargassum horneri that flowed into major sea areas from December last year to January this year was 187 tons, and after showing sporadic patterns since February, it is predicted to subside from May when the water temperature rises.

However, recently, as it was distributed in the northern East China Sea area and then massively flowed into the Hongdo area due to the influence of wind and ocean currents, additional influx into major vulnerable sea areas such as Heuksan, Bigeum, and Dochodo is expected.

Sargassum horneri flows into the coast, causing foul odors and polluting natural scenery, attaching to aquaculture facilities and damaging the quality of seafood products. In addition, manpower and time are required to remove the seaweed, leading to damage to fishing households and income reduction.

Sinan-gun allocated 1.99 billion KRW from the marine waste cleanup project budget to towns and townships earlier this year to enable initial response for rapid collection and disposal in case of massive influx of Sargassum horneri.

Also, the monitoring system has been strengthened to enable a rapid situation transmission system through integrated surveillance activities using sea environment keepers, fishing cooperative fishing boats, and passenger ships.

Choi Hyun-min, head of the Marine Fisheries Division, said, “We plan to do our best to ensure that the collection and disposal of the recently influxed Sargassum horneri is carried out in a timely manner to prevent secondary damage, and we will establish a close cooperation system with related organizations to actively respond to additional influx.”

Meanwhile, last year, 5,314 tons of Sargassum horneri flowed into seaweed farms in Sinan-gun, causing damage worth 1.2 billion KRW. A budget of 1 billion KRW was invested to mobilize 5,348 personnel and 2,112 pieces of equipment for collection.

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