"Data from 1,000 Coastal Fishing Vessels to Be Provided"... KMI and Korea Central Federation of Coastal Fishermen Join Forces to Tackle Climate Change

Laying the Foundation for Climate Change Response
and Science-Based Fisheries Policy

In response to the growing uncertainty in fishing operations caused by climate change, a government-funded research institute and coastal fishermen have embarked on an unprecedented collaboration.

The Korea Maritime Institute (KMI, President Cho Jeonghee) signed a business agreement on July 8 with the Korea Central Federation of Coastal Fishermen (Chairman Kim Haeseong) for the sustainable development of coastal fisheries.

The Korea Maritime Institute is signing a business agreement with the Korea Central Federation of Coastal Fishermen for the sustainable development of coastal fisheries and taking a commemorative photo. Photo by KMI

The signing ceremony was held in conjunction with Chairman Kim's inauguration as the federation's second president and was attended by more than 300 fishermen.

The core of the agreement is the voluntary provision of real-time fishing operation data and management data from 1,000 coastal fishing vessels to KMI. This bold decision by the coastal fisheries sector is seen as laying the groundwork for scientific policy-making by supplying vivid, on-the-ground data from the fishing industry.

Cho Jeonghee, President of KMI, stated, "It is unprecedented for fishermen to voluntarily provide their sensitive operational information and join hands with a research institute," adding, "Based on this, KMI will accelerate real-time analysis of fishing environments and the proposal of policies to address climate change."

Going forward, KMI plans to use the collected data to support government policy-making through in-depth research, including: research on fisheries policies to address climate change; real-time analysis of fishing environments; and the development of measures to stabilize fisheries management.

In addition to data analysis, the two organizations also plan to expand their cooperation in various fields, including: support for young fishermen; joint promotion of seafood consumption events; and campaigns to revitalize fishing villages.

Kim Haeseong, Chairman of the federation, said, "This will be the first step in ensuring that the voices of field fishermen are reflected in fisheries policy," and added, "The federation will communicate with research institutes and the government to design a sustainable future for fishermen."

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