- Third Korea-China Joint Fisheries Seed Release Event releases over 1 million yellow corvina seed and more -

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok) announced that it will be hosting the ‘Third Korea-China Joint Fisheries Seed Release Event’ on 9 July (Fri.) at 11:30am at Wangsan Marina Port on Yeongjong-do in Jung-gu of Incheon.

The Korea-China Joint Fisheries Seed Release Event was first agreed upon at the Korea-China Joint Fisheries Committee in 2017. Following the agreement made between Korean President Moon Jae-In and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to improve joint collaboration related to fisheries for the protection of fishery resources in the Yellow Sea, which was made during the presidential visit to China in Dec. 2017, it has become a regular annual event since 2018, with two successful years to date.

Around 200,000 yellow corvina and croaker were released into the ocean at Yeonggwang-gun, Jeonnam, in 2018 during the first release event. During the second release event in 2019, about 400,000 oriental shrimp and swimming crab were released into the ocean in Qingdao China. However, the event was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19.

Due to the limited national-level exchanges due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Korea and China have agreed to hold a virtual release event, where separate release events by each nation will be shared in real-time via the Internet.

The event will be held with a minimum number of participants, including local fisheries representatives, under tight quarantine management measures, in consideration of the rapid spread of COVID-19 in recent days.

The release event will proceed in the order of welcoming remarks, a congratulatory speech, and the release of the fisheries seeds. Photographs of waste fishnets collected by the Korean government from the seafloor of the Korea-China provisional measure waters, where the fishermen of both nations continue to operate, will be on display around the event area in order to effectively communicate the importance of the management of fishery resources to the event participants.

During this year’s event, the two countries will release one million yellow corvina and black scraper. In Korea, a total of 500,000 seeds, including 300,000 corvina fish and 200,000 swimming crab, provided by Incheon City will be released into the coastal fishing grounds of Yeonpyeong-do and Buno-ri in Ganghwa-do. These seas are known to be major spawning and habitation grounds for yellow corvina and swimming crab, rich with live feed, which are expected to deliver the successful creation of marine resources. Meanwhile, China plans to release 500,000 fish seeds, including black scraper, during the release event at Yantai City.

The yellow corvina and swimming crab to be released during the Korea-China Joint Release Event for the creation of richer marine resources in the Yellow Sea are migratory species of high economic value that inhabit the coastal waters of both nations and the entire Yellow Sea, making them the perfect species for the event. They are also representative species of the Yellow Sea that are popular with the people of both countries.

Kim Jun-Seok, Head of Marine Policies at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, commented that “the Korea-China Joint Release Event is even more meaningful in that it is a more active and preemptive policy to manage the fishery resources of the Yellow Sea, which takes a step further from the passive post-management of resources, such as the crackdown on illegal fishing operations.“ He also added, “(the Ministry) will continue to build on such bilateral cooperation, including the expanded Korea-China joint fish seed release programs, to ensure sustainable fisheries in the rich Yellow Sea.”