- Preventing illegal fishing with real-time checks on coastal state fishing permits and quota utilization status -

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister Kang Do-Hyung) has improved the Korea Fishery Information Management System (kfims.mof.go.kr) under the aim to further prevent illegal fishing activities, with implantation to begin January 2nd (Tuesday).

 The Korea Fishery Information Management System is a system that allows integrated management of information on fishing operations, including approval of fishing permits and fishing quotas in overseas coastal nations. Until now, the Fisheries Monitoring Center (FMC) of East Sea Fisheries Management Service of MOF collected information from offshore fishing vessel operators, including information on overseas coastal state fishing permits and catch transshipment (relocation of shipments to other vessels) results, which was used to update the Korea Fishery Information Management System. However, there were inconveniences in using the system, such as the need to resubmit data in the event of errors.

 In response, the Ministry has improved the Korea Fishery Information Management System to allow fishing operators to directly input and modify information on their fishing permits and transshipment activities in the system, starting in 2024. In addition, other preventative features have been added, including the real-time checking of quota utilization and vessel voyage tracing for the last 30 days, with the aim to block illegal fishing activities such as catches that exceed the given quota. Moreover, the system will also function as a communication channel for new and revised fisheries conservation measures of international fisheries management organizations, which can help the vessel operators to quickly identify and comply with the relevant measures.

 Offshore fishing vessel operators can continue to access the Korea Fishery Information Management System with their existing IDs to input and update data. For any inquiries, including the granting of an ID, users can reach out to the Fisheries Monitoring Center (FMC) of the East Sea Fisheries Management Service (☎051-410-1410).