It’s early morning at Jumunjin port in the eastern coastal city of Gangneung, and fishermen are busy transporting their catch to market.
The commercial fishing season for squid opened a month ago, but the fishermen are far from happy.
(Korean, )
“At this time of year, we would normally catch between four to six thousand squid, but this year, we’ve only been catching between 6-hundred to 1-thousand.”
In fact, the total catch in waters off Korea’s eastern Gangwon-do Province last month was just a quarter of that recorded during the same period last year.
Many fishermen are opting to keep their boats in the port as they know going out is not profitable anymore.
Squid catches off the east coast have dropped by roughly a half over the space of five years.
Irregular water temperatures could be one cause, but most believe it’s mainly down to overfishing by Chinese vessels.
After spawning in the East China Sea, the squid swim north through the East Sea in May and then move southward from September, but their route is cut short by Chinese fishermen who illegally poach the squid before they reach the southern waters.
(Korean, )
“If overfishing continues in Korean waters, it will eventually affect the country’s natural resources.”
There are currently an estimated 19-hundred Chinese fishing boats operating in North Korean waters, a one-thousand percent increase from ten years ago.
But as North Korea makes little effort to control Chinese fishing, South Korean authorities are struggling to come up with any effective countermeasures.
The Korea International Broadcasting Foundation