Excellence of Wando Seaweed Praised by British and American Fishermen with Thumbs Up

Seaweed Industry Professionals from Around the World Visit Wando Seaweed Aquaculture Facilities

Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do announced on the 10th that seaweed industry workers from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the UK, USA, and Canada visited Wando-gun's seaweed farms and processing facilities for a 2-night, 3-day schedule from the 4th to the 6th.

The World Wide Fund for Nature and fishermen from the UK, the US, and Canada visited the seaweed aquaculture site in Wando-gun.
[Photo by Wando-gun]

In Wando-gun, about 3,000 fishing households cultivate kelp, producing 148,687 tons last year, accounting for 71% of the national total.

Maesaengi seaweed was produced by 304 households with 2,377 tons (69% of the national total), and miyeok seaweed was produced by 3,186 households with 280,290 tons (40%).

Tot seaweed production reached 5,529 tons, and gim seaweed reached 73,934 tons, making Wando-gun the largest seaweed production area in South Korea.

This visit by seaweed industry workers from the UK, USA, and other countries to Wando-gun was part of a cooperative project led by WWF in collaboration with Incheon National University (Professor Kim Jang-gyun) to develop the seaweed aquaculture industry and promote exchanges between researchers and fishermen. As part of this, experts in aquaculture and seaweed industry workers toured seaweed farming facilities.

Mr. Nicholas Mangini, who produces kelp in Alaska, USA, experienced Wando’s kelp, gim, kkosiraegi, tot, and other seaweed farming and cuisine, repeatedly exclaiming “Wandoful” (a blend of Wando + Wonderful) in amazement. He asked questions about the operation of fishing cooperatives, seaweed farming gear, and aquaculture cycles.

Ms. Briana Weiner, who distributes and processes kelp in the USA, proposed to County Governor Shin Woo-cheol to become an ambassador promoting seaweed to the world. Ms. Julie Decker expressed interest in applying Wando-gun’s aquaculture technology or processing methods in Alaska and suggested forming a partnership.

Ms. Molly Gupta of WWF empathized with the excellence of seaweed, noting that seaweed farming does not require freshwater or fertilizers and absorbs greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. She also mentioned that kelp and alginate absorb and expel heavy metals from the body, stating, “Seaweed would be a great future food enjoyed by people worldwide.”

Kim Il, Director of Fisheries Management, said, “We hope this opportunity will widely promote the excellence of Wando seaweed overseas and further activate the seaweed industry.”

Meanwhile, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization established for nature conservation. It is the world’s largest environmental conservation organization, dedicated to preserving biodiversity, raising awareness of climate change and environmental pollution, and creating a future where humans and nature coexist harmoniously.

Wando = Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil ckp6737@asiae.co.kr

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