Gyeonggi-do Marine Fisheries Resources Research Institute Releases 170,000 Rockfish Clams into Gyeonggi Sea

Rockfish clam released by Gyeonggi-do Marine Fisheries Resources Research Institute

Gyeonggi Province released the "Ureok clam," which mainly inhabits the South Sea and the West Sea, into the coastal mudflats of the province.

The Gyeonggi Marine Fisheries Resources Research Institute announced that from the 22nd to the 24th of this month, a total of 3.18 million juvenile Ureok clams, Manila clams, and ragworms will be released into five coastal mudflats within the province to respond to environmental changes and increase fishery resources.

According to the release schedule, on the 22nd, 170,000 juvenile Ureok clams will be released into the mudflats of Hwaseong and Siheung, and on the 23rd and 24th, 3 million juvenile Manila clams and 10,000 ragworms will be released into the mudflats of Ansan, Hwaseong, and Siheung, respectively.

The Ureok clam is large enough to be traded by number rather than by weight and is prized for its taste, making it suitable for sashimi. It is a high-value species priced at more than four times the cost of Manila clams, which are about 3,000 KRW per kilogram.

The Marine Fisheries Resources Research Institute decided on this trial release after confirming the possibility of cultivating Ureok clams in Gyeonggi mudflats, as these clams, which mainly inhabit the South Coast, have appeared on the West Coast due to climate change. The juvenile Ureok clams released this time were purchased from a seed production center in Jeollanam-do and passed disease inspections.

Amid recent mudflat environmental changes causing the death or disappearance of existing clam species, the institute expects that the environmentally resilient and highly reproductive Ureok clam will establish itself as a new income species for fishermen.

Kim Seong-gon, director of the Gyeonggi Marine Fisheries Resources Research Institute, said, "From this year, we are conducting seed production research to produce Ureok clams independently," adding, "We will continue to discover useful fishery resources to help increase the income of Gyeonggi fishermen."

Including the 1.1 million shrimp, webfoot octopus, cuttlefish, pen shell, and black porgy released from May to September, the institute has released a total of 4.28 million individuals of eight species into the Gyeonggi sea and mudflats this year.

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