Heading to Cool Buk... Major Production Areas Shift in Response to Global Warming

In response to the increasingly warming climate on the Korean Peninsula, the government is preparing measures to shift the cultivation areas of major agricultural and marine products northward. This is because the production of key agricultural and marine products such as flatfish (Nopchi), rockfish (Jopibollak), and apples, which have mainly been produced in the southern regions, is being disrupted due to rising sea temperatures and prolonged heatwaves.

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On the 8th, according to related ministries including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the government is preparing a “Climate Change Response Agricultural and Marine Products Supply and Demand Management Plan” in cooperation with relevant agencies, considering the disruptions in agricultural and marine product production caused by heatwaves and other climate changes. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to announce related measures as early as next month, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to announce its measures by December. This comprehensive plan is designed to prepare for an environment where supply is disrupted, prices rise, and supply and demand issues occur due to changes in the production environment of agricultural and marine products caused by the heat.

In particular, the government is focusing on measures to promote the relocation of major production areas to northern regions with lower temperatures, as cultivation of agricultural and marine products that were mainly produced in the southern regions has become difficult. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is reviewing measures to move aquaculture areas, where flatfish and rockfish have been intensively produced in the southern sea, to northern sea areas with relatively lower water temperatures. The core idea is to encourage aquaculture farmers who have been producing flatfish and rockfish in the southern regions to relocate their facilities.

Since relocating means aquaculture farmers must change their existing livelihoods, the government is focusing on measures to reduce the cost burden of relocation. First, an analysis will be conducted to find new aquaculture areas optimal for the threshold water temperatures of flatfish and rockfish, adjusted to the changed water temperatures. Although the East Sea region has relatively lower water temperatures than the South Sea, selecting suitable aquaculture sites requires comprehensive consideration not only of water temperature but also dissolved oxygen and salinity levels.

Measures to alleviate the cost burden for aquaculture farmers choosing to relocate are also being considered. This is intended to reduce the inevitable increase in costs associated with installing new aquaculture facilities during relocation. A Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official explained, "We are comprehensively considering measures such as providing low-interest loans for funds needed for relocation or supporting the costs of installing necessary facilities."

Aquaculture licensing regulations are also expected to be applied flexibly. Initially, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries planned to strengthen license reviews by granting aquaculture re-licenses based on evaluations of the environment and management status of fishing grounds when licenses expire, starting next year. However, to support relocation, these regulations will be somewhat relaxed. A government official said, "Recently, new licenses have become difficult to obtain to prevent coastal pollution, but to promote relocation support, licensing and review regulations will likely be addressed in a linked manner." The intention is to fully consider that the choice to relocate is made by fishermen and that moving facilities is not easy.

This year, the high-temperature water advisory lasted for a total of 71 days from July 24 to August 2, marking the longest period since the high-temperature water advisory was issued in 2017. Considering that the threshold water temperature for rockfish is 28 degrees Celsius and for flatfish is 29 degrees Celsius, the prolonged high-temperature water environment has caused disruptions in aquaculture.

The threshold water temperature refers to the temperature at which farmed fish are likely to die. As the seawater temperature used by aquaculture farms fluctuates beyond the habitat range, fish deaths occur due to lack of dissolved oxygen and weakened immunity caused by stress. In particular, the Jeju region, which accounts for 50% of domestic flatfish production, is facing a crisis in its aquaculture industry due to mass fish deaths caused by hot seawater.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is also considering supporting the relocation of major agricultural product cultivation areas, such as apples, as part of its mid- to long-term climate change response measures. Rising temperatures are changing not only the cultivation areas but also the acreage, increasing the risk of production disruptions.

Orchard cultivation areas for apples and pears have already been moving northward from the southern regions to the central and northern regions. The National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science’s Climate Change Adaptation Agriculture Research Center forecasts that while areas such as Jeonbuk, parts of Gyeongnam, and Daegu in Gyeongbuk were suitable for apple cultivation in the past, by the 2030s, major cultivation areas may be limited to areas near the East Coast in Gangwon and northern Gyeonggi.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has formed a dedicated task force (TF) to prepare overall measures. The task force discusses ways to develop varieties with high climate change adaptability and to establish production bases suitable for them. It also reviews responses to seasonal changes on the Korean Peninsula and supply shortages.

A Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs official said, "We are conducting research through the Korea Rural Economic Institute and preparing to collect opinions from experts and farmers regarding climate change." Regarding support for relocating agricultural product cultivation areas, the official explained, "Various aspects need to be reviewed, so we are examining them."

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