Pohang City Moves to Prevent Jellyfish Damage to Fisheries with 150 Million KRW Purchase Project

Pohang City has launched a jellyfish purchase project starting on the 14th to proactively prevent damage to fisheries and fishing grounds caused by the mass influx of Nomura's jellyfish into coastal waters during the summer.

Pohang City has launched a jellyfish purchase project since the 14th. Photo by Pohang City

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This purchase project is being carried out mainly for fishermen engaged in set net and partitioned fishery operations, with jellyfish being bought at a price of 300 KRW per kilogram. So far, a total of 313 tons have been purchased, and a budget of 150 million KRW is expected to be allocated.

Nomura's jellyfish is a large species that can grow up to 100 kilograms, is highly toxic, and often enters fishing nets during operations, causing significant economic damage to fishermen by breaking nets, damaging catches, and polluting fishing grounds.

Local fishermen are emphasizing the urgent need for practical support measures that reflect the difficulties and voices from the field, citing safety concerns due to the strong toxicity of the jellyfish, accumulated fatigue from repeated collection work, and inefficiency caused by the limited loading capacity of vessels.

Jung Cheolyoung, Director of Fisheries Policy, stated, "Nomura's jellyfish is a recurring summer disaster for the fishing industry, and if left unaddressed, it can have a serious impact on overall fishing activities. We will support fishermen to minimize damage through the purchase project and will consider securing additional budget depending on the amount collected and the extent of the damage in the future."

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