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For a Bountiful Sea Tomorrow Again, Confirming 620,000 Tons of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for 2026 and 2027
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Date
2026.07.30.
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Hit
62
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For a Bountiful Sea Tomorrow Again,
Confirming 620,000 Tons of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for 2026 and 2027
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Hwang Jong-woo) announced that it would be implementing the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) implementation plan it has established for the 2026/2027 fishing season, which takes effect on July 1, 2026.
In place since 1999, the TAC scheme sets the annual catch limit and allows fishing only within that limit. It is currently operated in three stages*.
* TAC Application Stages: (Stage 1) Setting total catch limits by fishery type (pilot project) → (Stage 2) Allocation to individual vessel (pilot project) → (Stage 3) Full implementation of all procedures, including TAC allocation to vessel and sanctions for exceeding quotas
In this implementation plan, the TAC targets have been expanded from the previous 18 fishery species and 21 business types to 19 species and 23 business types, with the total TAC set at 623,079 tons.
The newly added species, croaker, will be applied to the large trawl fishery in the waters of Busan and Gyeongnam. Newly entering fishery business types include medium-sized outer-trawl and bottom-trawl fishing in the Southwest Sea, as well as set-net fishing. The TAC will be implemented targeting the medium-sized outer-trawl bottom trawl fishing for Japanese flying squid in the Southwest Sea. For set-net fishing, a total TAC** will be applied considering the difficulty of species-selective fishing due to the nature of the fishery*.
* Set-net fishing: A type of fishing wherein fishing gear is installed within a designated area, catching a wide variety of species, which makes species-specific catch management difficult.
** Total TAC: A management approach wherein a total allowable catch limit is set for the overall volume of all catch landed.
Industry participation will be expanded for target species under the existing TAC scheme, with the application stages to be raised. For the Japanese flying squid TAC—which currently involves six fishing business types—the large otter trawl fishery will be newly added. Meanwhile, large trawl fishing will be added to the small yellow croaker TAC, which currently involves four business types.
In addition, for blue crab and red snow crab (excluding specific West Sea areas and Yeonpyeong Island waters)—which had been managed at Stage 1 (allocation only by sector)—the application stage will be raised to Stage 2, i.e., they will now be allocated and managed on a per-vessel basis. For anchovy (anchovy boat seine fishery), squid (southwest sea pair trawl), and hairtail (offshore handling fishery), the application stage will be raised from the current Stage 2 to Stage 3. Quotas will be allocated and managed per vessel under Stage 3 and sanctions will be imposed for TAC overruns, thereby strengthening management.
Institutional improvements will be made as well. Mackerel and spotted mackerel—which are currently managed separately—will be integrated into a single "mackerel species" category for streamlined management. Additionally, horse mackerel and conch will be brought under the multi-year TAC system to allow for more flexible fishing operations in response to fluctuating catch volumes.
Furthermore, the Act on the Development of Sustainable Coastal and Offshore Fisheries was enacted on June 16 of this year to support the transition toward an output-oriented fisheries TAC system. Accordingly, based on the 2027 three-year catch data, the plan is to expand the TAC to cover all coastal and offshore fisheries starting July 2030 to ease existing complex regulations, reduce the administrative burden on fishers, and strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic fisheries industry.
"With the enactment of the Act on the Sustainable Development of Coastal and Offshore Fisheries, we will boldly abolish or adjust outdated regulations based on accurate coastal and offshore fisheries data. To that end, we will continue to expand the TAC system while making efforts to ensure the stable settlement of the system on the ground," said Choi Hyun-ho, Director General of Fisheries Policy at MOF.
Confirming 620,000 Tons of Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for 2026 and 2027
- Implementation of TAC scheme for 19 fish species and 23 fishing sectors
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Hwang Jong-woo) announced that it would be implementing the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) implementation plan it has established for the 2026/2027 fishing season, which takes effect on July 1, 2026.
In place since 1999, the TAC scheme sets the annual catch limit and allows fishing only within that limit. It is currently operated in three stages*.
* TAC Application Stages: (Stage 1) Setting total catch limits by fishery type (pilot project) → (Stage 2) Allocation to individual vessel (pilot project) → (Stage 3) Full implementation of all procedures, including TAC allocation to vessel and sanctions for exceeding quotas
In this implementation plan, the TAC targets have been expanded from the previous 18 fishery species and 21 business types to 19 species and 23 business types, with the total TAC set at 623,079 tons.
The newly added species, croaker, will be applied to the large trawl fishery in the waters of Busan and Gyeongnam. Newly entering fishery business types include medium-sized outer-trawl and bottom-trawl fishing in the Southwest Sea, as well as set-net fishing. The TAC will be implemented targeting the medium-sized outer-trawl bottom trawl fishing for Japanese flying squid in the Southwest Sea. For set-net fishing, a total TAC** will be applied considering the difficulty of species-selective fishing due to the nature of the fishery*.
* Set-net fishing: A type of fishing wherein fishing gear is installed within a designated area, catching a wide variety of species, which makes species-specific catch management difficult.
** Total TAC: A management approach wherein a total allowable catch limit is set for the overall volume of all catch landed.
Industry participation will be expanded for target species under the existing TAC scheme, with the application stages to be raised. For the Japanese flying squid TAC—which currently involves six fishing business types—the large otter trawl fishery will be newly added. Meanwhile, large trawl fishing will be added to the small yellow croaker TAC, which currently involves four business types.
In addition, for blue crab and red snow crab (excluding specific West Sea areas and Yeonpyeong Island waters)—which had been managed at Stage 1 (allocation only by sector)—the application stage will be raised to Stage 2, i.e., they will now be allocated and managed on a per-vessel basis. For anchovy (anchovy boat seine fishery), squid (southwest sea pair trawl), and hairtail (offshore handling fishery), the application stage will be raised from the current Stage 2 to Stage 3. Quotas will be allocated and managed per vessel under Stage 3 and sanctions will be imposed for TAC overruns, thereby strengthening management.
Institutional improvements will be made as well. Mackerel and spotted mackerel—which are currently managed separately—will be integrated into a single "mackerel species" category for streamlined management. Additionally, horse mackerel and conch will be brought under the multi-year TAC system to allow for more flexible fishing operations in response to fluctuating catch volumes.
Furthermore, the Act on the Development of Sustainable Coastal and Offshore Fisheries was enacted on June 16 of this year to support the transition toward an output-oriented fisheries TAC system. Accordingly, based on the 2027 three-year catch data, the plan is to expand the TAC to cover all coastal and offshore fisheries starting July 2030 to ease existing complex regulations, reduce the administrative burden on fishers, and strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic fisheries industry.
"With the enactment of the Act on the Sustainable Development of Coastal and Offshore Fisheries, we will boldly abolish or adjust outdated regulations based on accurate coastal and offshore fisheries data. To that end, we will continue to expand the TAC system while making efforts to ensure the stable settlement of the system on the ground," said Choi Hyun-ho, Director General of Fisheries Policy at MOF.
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