Hot Seawater During Heatwave ... Over 1.57 Million Farmed Fish Die on South Coast

As the heatwave continues with the longest tropical nights recorded since weather observations began, farmed fish along the southern coast of Gyeongnam are dying one after another due to high water temperatures.

The Gyeongnam provincial government announced on the 20th that, as of 6 p.m. on the 19th, 1,577,000 fish had died at 50 fish farms in Tongyeong, Geoje, and Goseong.

Fish at a cage aquaculture farm in Geoje City, Gyeongnam, died due to high water temperatures.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

According to the province, 1,226,000 fish including Jopibollak, mullet, filefish, and rockfish died at 38 farms in Tongyeong; 332,000 fish including Jopibollak, flatfish, rockfish, gangdodari, and filefish died at 11 farms in Geoje; and 20,000 flatfish died at one farm in Goseong.

In the waters off Gyeongnam, a cold water mass disappeared on the 13th, causing the sea temperature to rise rapidly, and on the 16th, the National Institute of Fisheries Science issued a high water temperature warning.

The institute issues a preliminary alert when the surface sea temperature reaches 25 degrees Celsius, a watch when it rises to 28 degrees, and a warning when it exceeds 28 degrees.

Map of high-temperature advisory and warning areas issued by the National Institute of Fisheries Science. [Image source=National Institute of Fisheries Science website]

On this day, the Gyeongnam provincial government held an emergency video conference presided over by the Director of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Bureau with coastal cities and counties to assess the damage from high water temperatures in each region and review methods for disposing of dead fish.

Cho Hyunjun, Director of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Bureau, said, "The high water temperature is expected to continue for the time being due to the heatwave," and added, "Cities and counties should promptly dispose of dead fish to prevent secondary damage and conduct rapid damage assessments to enable swift recovery."

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