- 1 Year Grace Period on Penalties and Administrative Sanctions -

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the full-fledged implementation of a reporting system for the production and sale of fishing gear, which is being introduced with the aim of systematically managing fishing gear throughout the nation.

 Under the purposes of protecting fishery resources and resolving environmental pollution, caused by the excessive use of fishing gear and discarded gear, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has revised the Fisheries Act to reinforce the life-cycle management of fishing gear and established a Fishing Gear Management System* to ensure sustainable fishing practices.

   * Reporting of fishing gear production and sale, fishing gear survey, fishing gear collection system, and fishing gear/buoy deposit system

 Those subject to reporting the production and sale of fishing gear are limited to businesses that target fishermen as defined under the Fisheries Act for their fishing operations. To specify the scope of fishing gear that are subject to reporting, a list of fishing gear has been prepared in the Enforcement Rules of the Fisheries Act.

 It should be noted that businesses that produce or sell fishing gear may be fined or targeted for administrative sanctions, such as business suspension or closure, if they fail to comply with the obligations under the reporting system.

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will be able to establish a preventative fishing gear management policy by implementing the reporting system, which allows more systematic management of the status on their production and distribution volumes, purchase and usage volumes by fishermen, and the collection volume of discarded gear. It is also expected to effectively drive the development and support for the eco-friendly fishing gear sector.

Since this is a new regulation that includes penalties for non-compliance, a grace period will be applicable to the penalties and administrative sanctions, with a clear direction on the secure implementation of the reporting system and a plan to periodically provide guidance for the relevant sectors and check on their implementation status.

 Director General Choi Hyun-Ho, the Head of the Fishery Resource Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries requested “active participation and cooperation from the producers and sellers of fishing gear and fishermen, as the reporting system on the production and distribution of fishing gear is the starting point for establishing future fishing gear management policies to protect fishery resources and prevent marine pollution.” He added that the Ministry “plans to continue drafting various ideas for improvements in fishing gear management in the future.”