Jeonnam Province Prepares Comprehensive Measures for Red Tide and High Water Temperature... Launches Full-Scale Response System

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province has prepared the ‘2022 Comprehensive Measures for Red Tide and High Water Temperature’ and is entering a full-scale response system.

On the 7th, the province held the ‘Provincial Red Tide Countermeasures Committee’ and discussed ways to minimize damage caused by red tide and high water temperature, which cause significant harm to aquaculture farmers.

At the committee meeting, city and county officials, aquaculture farmers, and experts exchanged opinions on the 2022 comprehensive measures for red tide and high water temperature, discussing the establishment of response support and control equipment, expansion of surveillance and forecasting infrastructure, and joint field response plans between the public and private sectors.

According to the National Institute of Fisheries Science and the Korea Meteorological Administration’s long-term forecast, this year, due to abnormal high temperatures in the Arctic causing weakening of the jet stream and stagnation of pressure systems, the number of heatwave days is expected to increase compared to previous years, with water temperatures about 1 degree higher than average.

High water temperatures are expected to start from early to mid-July, about 15 days earlier than last year, and a red tide advisory is predicted to be issued around mid-July, raising concerns about damage mainly in aquaculture-dense areas such as Yeosu, Goheung, and Wando.

Accordingly, Jeonnam Province has decided to implement strengthened damage prevention measures to minimize red tide and high water temperature damage, including ▲establishing a prevention-centered response system ▲expanding surveillance and forecasting infrastructure ▲joint field response between public and private sectors ▲strengthening cooperation among related agencies for damage prevention ▲support for damage recovery and management stabilization.

On the 9th, a 2022 red tide control simulation drill will be held in the waters off Hwatae-do, Nam-myeon, Yeosu, mobilizing 44 vessels (2 from the province, 4 from Yeosu City, 2 from the Coast Guard, and 36 fishing boats) to simulate a red tide occurrence situation and then conduct control operations, aiming to elevate practical response capabilities to the next level.

Moon Geum-ju, Deputy Governor of Jeonnam Province, said, “As aquaculture farmers are facing difficult times due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and sluggish seafood consumption, we will thoroughly prepare by uniting the public, private, and police sectors to prevent red tide and high water temperature damage. We also hope that fishermen actively participate in the self-protection movement for their fishing grounds and actively join the wide-area simultaneous control operations when red tide occurs.”

In Jeonnam last year, a red tide preliminary caution advisory was issued on August 10 in the waters from Dolsan-do, Yeosu to Jijuk-do, Goheung, but no damage occurred due to rapid initial response and concentrated control. However, from July 15 to August 26, high water temperature caution and warning advisories were issued continuously, causing aquaculture seafood damage worth 17.5 billion KRW in 3,759 fishing households across 11 cities and counties.

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