Tag Archives: Korea
Shrimp boat returns from fishing grounds with ‘full load’ of trash
This journey began on the recommendation of an experienced Jeju fisherman. Han Cheol-nam, 62, the head of Shinsan-ri Fishing Village in Jeju Island’s Seogwipo, spoke with a troubled expression to this reporter who had come to investigate the sea polluted with trash. “Was our sea really so overrun with trash that it was beyond recovery? Was this not just fishermen complaining about their reduced income?” Despite enjoying seafood regularly, I had never really considered the conditions in which fish and other creatures lived before reaching our tables. This prompted me to board a fishing vessel for an extended period to observe and assist with operations in the waters off Jeju, where a variety of marine species are caught. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:39
UK fishermen ‘at the very bottom of the heap’
A paper published in the scientific journal Marine Policy, with a wide group of authors, some attached to anti-fishing NGOs, shows starkly how bad a deal UK fishermen have in Europe. The UK EEZ is a key fishing ground for fleets from the EU and Norway, which are provided with huge amounts of government support to fish in British and, to a lesser extent, Irish waters. Ireland is the only country remaining within the EU that is a net ‘subsidy sink’, with vessels fishing what would be the Irish EEZ – were Ireland independent – receiving more financial support to fish there than the Irish fleet itself receives. But the figures for Ireland are dwarfed by those for the UK, which, the study says, is an ‘outlier’ worldwide. There is otherwise a pattern of richer nations – in particular China, Spain, Korea, Japan and the USA – being given support to extract fish from much poorer developing countries. The paper doesn’t attempt to explain quite why the UK is such an outlier. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:29
Squid stocks in Korean waters depleted by Chinese overfishing – Video
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. “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.” Many fishermen are opting to keep their boats in the port as they know going out is not profitable anymore. Video, Read the rest here 16:34
Showdown looms for lucrative Western Pacific tuna industry
The future of the world’s largest tuna fishery will be decided at a meeting in Australia this week, with Pacific island nations demanding tighter controls on a catch now worth US$7.0 billion a year. A record 2.65 million tonnes of tuna was hauled from the Pacific last year, accounting for 60 percent of the global catch, with most of the fishing conducted by so-called “distant water” fleets from as far afield as Europe, the United States, China, Korea and Taiwan. Island nations, many of which rely on tuna for a significant portion of their income, fear stocks are becoming unsustainable and want action at the December 2-6 meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in Cairns. [email protected] 08:16
