'Gyeonggibadaho·Gyeonggicheongjeongho' Begin Full Operation... Ensuring Safe Fishing and Collecting Marine Waste

Illegal Fishing Enforcement

Gyeonggi Province began operating the ‘Gyeonggibada-ho’ and ‘Gyeonggi Cheongjeong-ho’ vessels from February to ensure a safe and clean Gyeonggi Sea.

Using these two ships, Gyeonggi Province enforces safe fishing operations, cracks down on illegal fishing, and collects marine waste within the province. The operation covers five coastal cities and counties: Hwaseong, Ansan, Siheung, Gimpo, and Pyeongtaek, managing 1,800 fishing vessels, 42 inhabited and uninhabited islands, and 268 km of coastline.

The Gyeonggibada-ho is a government vessel responsible for administrative support in island areas and for monitoring and detecting illegal fishing activities. This year, it aims to operate for 140 days, targeting 1,500 fishing vessels to guide safe fishing practices and prevent marine pollution. It will also support environmental surveys of the Gyeonggi Sea, including water quality and radiation monitoring.

The Gyeonggi Cheongjeong-ho handles the collection and disposal of waste deposited along the coast or underwater in the Gyeonggi Sea, as well as garbage from island areas, onboard collection points, and seaweed farms. Its operational goal for this year is 120 days, during which it plans to collect and process 150 tons of marine waste and monitor the marine environment.

Gyeonggi Province also operates the mobile civil service vessel ‘Gyeonggibada Call Center,’ which provides administrative support to residents of island areas such as Pungdo, Yukdo, and Gukhwado, offers medical volunteer services in emergencies, and conducts island area cleanup activities.

Kim Bong-hyun, Director of the Marine Fisheries Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Gyeonggi Province has continuously enforced illegal fishing crackdowns and collected marine waste annually to protect local fishery resources. This year, we will do our best to create a clean Gyeonggi Sea by actively utilizing government vessels."

Meanwhile, last year’s government vessel operations resulted in 33 cases of illegal fishing detection, guidance on safe fishing and marine pollution prevention for 1,551 vessels, 35 instances of administrative support for island residents, and the collection of 150 tons of marine waste.

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