Korea to Conduct Test Fishing for Toothfish... Strengthening Research on the Conservation and Management of Fishery Resources

 

Agreement on conservation and management measures for toothfish, halibut, etc. at the 13th General Assembly of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization

 

2025 fishing quota for mackerel at 18,506 tons, a 25% increase from the previous year

 

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced that Korea’s proposal on test fishing for toothfish was approved at the 13th General Assembly of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO*) held in Santiago, Chile from February 17 to 21.

 

  *Chairman of the General Assembly: Deputy Director Kim Jeong-rye of the MOF

 

 Until now, Korea has fished for toothfish only in waters managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR*); with this approval, however, Korea has secured new fishing grounds for toothfish fishing. Additionally, through the new test fishing operations, Korea will expand its scientific contributions to the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO*) including investigations on the resource distribution patterns of toothfish in fishing grounds covering approximately 110,000 km² in the South Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Antarctic Ocean. Korea's toothfish test fishing will be conducted for three years from 2025 to 2027, and the annual fishing quota is 240 tons.

 

  *Established under the Antarctic Treaty to conserve and utilize Antarctic marine living resources rationally

 

 In addition, the meeting announced that the annual fishing quota for horse mackerel was decided as 18,506 tons (2025), an increase of 3,701 tons (25%) from 14,805 tons in 2024.

 

 The national fishing quota for horse mackerel is determined based on the organization's annual resource assessment and the allocation ratio for each country. Such increase in the fishing quota for horse mackerel is due to the positive results of the resource assessment last year following the year before, and member countries agreed to increase the total allowable catch (TAC) by 25% compared to the previous year (1,242,000 tons).

 

 “Resource conservation through strict compliance with the fishing quota and systematic management based on scientific analysis are the two most important principles of international fisheries organizations. Moving forward, we will ensure strict compliance with fishing regulations by Korean vessels and expand scientific contributions, thereby taking the lead in establishing and implementing a sustainable fisheries resource management system,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.