"Prepare for Sardine Mass Mortality" ... Masanhappo-gu Conducts Rapid Collection and Disposal Drill

Masan Happo-gu, Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, conducted a practical drill on the 13th to enhance the rapid collection and disposal capabilities in preparation for the mass death of sardines due to oxygen deficiency this year as well.

Masan Happo-gu conducted a simulation exercise to enhance its collection response capabilities in preparation for mass sardine deaths due to oxygen depletion.

Previously, the district office mobilized personnel and equipment to collect and dispose of 226 tons of dead sardines last year when a mass death occurred due to oxygen deficiency.

According to the National Institute of Fisheries Science, large schools of sardines are expected to appear again along the southern coast this year, increasing citizens' anxiety and concerns. Last year's mass sardine deaths caused significant inconvenience and distress to citizens due to foul odors and deterioration of the urban landscape. Masan Happo-gu has established a comprehensive plan and organized a response system to prevent such a nightmare from recurring.

Through the drill held on this day, the applicability of the response system in actual field situations was confirmed, and exercises were conducted to handle the situation as quickly as possible with the goal of minimizing citizen inconvenience.

The main content involved setting two scenarios similar to last year: ▲when sardine carcasses occur along the coastline and ▲when sardine carcasses occur at sea, and practicing the corresponding response methods and collection systems.

In the event of carcasses along the coastline, collection personnel will be promptly deployed, and after collection, the carcasses will be brought to resource recovery facilities for incineration. For carcasses occurring at sea, fishing vessels and personnel will be used to encircle them with nets and collect them with skiffs, then transport them to food waste recycling facilities for processing.

Kim Seon-min, head of Masan Happo-gu Office, said, “I understand that citizens and tourists experienced significant inconvenience due to foul odors caused by last year’s mass sardine deaths. This year, we will strengthen the response system by conducting prior drills and establish and implement an organic cooperation system to respond immediately on-site in case of mass deaths, minimizing citizen inconvenience and maximizing citizen satisfaction through proactive administration.”

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