Namhae Jukbangnyeom Fishery, First Step Toward Recognition as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage

Final Report Meeting for Research Service to Promote Registration

The 500-year-old Namhae Jukbangnyeom fishery has taken its first step toward being recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).

Namhae County in Gyeongnam held the final report meeting for the "Research Project to Register Namhae Jukbangnyeom Fishery as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS)" on the 8th at the county office's main conference room.

Namhae-gun, Gyeongnam held the final report meeting for the 'Research Project to Register Namhae Jukbangryeom Fishery as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage'.

Namhae County has been preparing the application for registering Namhae Jukbangnyeom as a GIAHS for the past year, based on related resource surveys and expert consultations, and plans to submit it to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in March. The final registration decision is expected to take about one to one and a half years.

In particular, preservation and management plans have been jointly explored with fishermen from Jijok Strait centered around the "Jukbangnyeom Preservation Association," and great effort has been made to collect and verify historical facts that have been passed down.

The final report meeting was attended by about 20 people, including County Governor Jang Chung-nam, representatives from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Gyeongnam Province, Korea Fisheries Infrastructure Public Corporation, global agricultural heritage advisory committee members, the Namhae Jukbangnyeom Preservation Association, and related officials, where in-depth discussions were held on registering the Namhae Jukbangnyeom fishery as a GIAHS.

Currently, the Namhae Jukbangnyeom fishery is designated as Scenic Site No. 71 (2010) and National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 138-1 (2019). The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries designated Jukbangnyeom as National Important Fishery Heritage No. 3 (2015), providing national-level support.

Jukbangnyeom, Namhae, Gyeongnam.

Hwang Gil-sik, CEO of Myeongso IMC, the company conducting the research project, described the Jukbangnyeom fishery system as "a traditional fixed-net fishery devised by island residents who faced difficulties in agricultural production due to mountainous terrain and limited plains, representing a fishery heritage of South Korea."

He further explained that the maintenance and succession of this nature-adaptive traditional fishing method have allowed it to serve as a source of income for fishermen and to fulfill socio-economic value, making it fully qualified for registration as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.

Above all, it was emphasized that it holds "modern values" as a "traditional fishery landscape symbolizing Namhae County," an "eco-friendly sustainable fishery protecting the sea," and a "foundation for revitalizing the local economy of Namhae County."

This is a living heritage with outstanding conservation value as the only traditional fixed-net fishery existing on the Korean Peninsula, developed over hundreds of years in harmony with the unique geographical features of the Jijok Strait area and the marine and natural environment.

Governor Jang Chung-nam stated, "We must nurture the historical and symbolic value of the Namhae Jukbangnyeom fishery as a valuable resource that the world should protect and preserve, while ensuring it remains a sustainable livelihood for fishermen." He added, "With the opening of the Namhae-Yeosu Undersea Tunnel and the forthcoming Namhae Coast tourism era, this traditional fishery heritage combined with beautiful scenery will become a new killer tourism content that captures the attention of people worldwide."

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