"What's the Use of Catching Unsellable Fish..." Fishermen Worried More About Livelihood Than Anything Else

No Problem with Discharge... But Fishermen Say "We're All Doomed"
"Please Consume Before Contaminated Water Reaches Korean Seas"

As Japan begins discharging contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the ocean today (24th), fishermen who make their living from fishing expressed their despair, saying, "We are all doomed." The decline in seafood consumption had already appeared before the discharge started, and fishermen predicted that the total production would decrease by about 50% after the discharge.

Kim Young-chul, an executive committee member of the National Federation of Fishermen's Associations who operates cockle farming in Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, said in a CBS radio interview on the 24th, "You can say that consumption has completely stopped even now," and added, "Not only me, but all fishermen feel like the sky is falling, and we cannot sleep," describing the industry's atmosphere.

Kim said that although the contaminated water is not immediately flowing into our seas, consumption is already declining. "In places like Tongyeong, there are even talks about not going out to fish. Since fish caught now do not sell, they say not to catch at all," he said. "The total seafood production in our country is about 3.6 million tons, which amounts to about 9.24 trillion won, but consumption has decreased even before the discharge."

Fishermen from Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, are participating in a maritime parade on the morning of the 22nd at Wando Port, Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, opposing the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. June 23, 2023 [Photo by Yonhap News]

Kim said, "If the discharge starts today, if the public stops eating seafood, consumption is expected to decrease by about 50%. In terms of value, that would be over 4.5 trillion won," lamenting, "Why should fishermen suffer?" He warned, "Discharging contaminated water like this kills the sea, and if humans kill the sea, the sea will also kill humans."

Kim Gye-sook, president of the Jeju Haenyeo Association who has worked as a haenyeo (female diver) for 53 years, said, "If contaminated water is discharged, diving is basically over," and added, "This year, sea urchin prices were good, sales were good, and things were fine, but next year, whether people will buy or not is up to consumers, so we do not know." Haenyeo inevitably ingest seawater while diving, and "they swallow it about five or six times a day. If accumulated over 12 months, how harmful would that be to our bodies?" she worried, saying, "Even if it takes 3 to 10 years for the contaminated water to reach us, the atmosphere is not like that."

However, fishermen urged people to continue consuming seafood until the contaminated water reaches our seas. Kim said, "Even if the discharge starts today, if it can be stopped, it should be stopped. If it stops within two years, things can return to normal," and added, "At least for one year, I hope people will consume seafood for the sake of fishermen." President Kim also requested, "Seafood is still safe, so please think of it as helping our fishermen and eat a lot."

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