Tons of tuna dumped as fishermen can't keep lucrative fish out of their nets

Economy

Published: 05 Sep. 2022, 18:27 Updated: 05 Sep. 2022, 18:50

Tons of tuna dumped as fishermen can't keep lucrative fish out of their nets

Workers clear up dead tuna washed up on Jangsa Beach in Yeongdeok Island, North Gyeongsang, on July 28. [NEWS1]

More than 20 tons of tuna are being dumped back into the sea each day in Gangwon, by fishermen with no intention of even netting the lucrative catch in the first place.

Limits on the amount of tuna that can be caught set by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and abnormal weather conditions are two of the reasons why fishermen are finding themselves traveling long distances offshore to dump the extra fish that has swam into their nets.

Kim Cheol-gon, a fifty-year-old fisherman who works in waters off Gangneung in Gwangwon, has had to add a voyage of some 10 kilometers to his day, to dump the extra tuna he catches in waters deemed far enough away to have no impact on tourist attractions in the area, such as Gyeonpo Beach.

Waves wash up dead tuna on Jangsa Beach in Yeongdeok Island, North Gyeongsang, on July 28. [NEWS1]

On July 28, more than 1,000 dead tuna washed up on Jangsa Beach in Yeongdeok Island, North Gyeongsang. Tourists in the area had to deal with the smell of rotting fish that had washed ashore after being dumped by fishermen.

Kim usually fishes in waters just three kilometers off the coast and catches between five to 20 tons of tuna each day in nets anchored at sea. It is easy for fish to swim into these nets, but not as easy for them to swim out. Fishermen have to sort out the different types of fish caught in the fixed shore nets, and by the time the tuna are found after the nets are pulled aboard their boats, they are usually dead.

Kim, who uses three boats — a 21-ton vessel, a 23-ton vessel and a 24-ton vessel — to haul in his catches, makes the daily journey to dump the over-the-quota tuna with fellow crew members.

While such journeys are costly due to the soaring prices of oil, violations of the rules set on the quota for tuna are even costlier. Those caught exceeding limits face punishments of imprisonment for a maximum of two years or a fine of up to 20 million won ($14,580) under the Fisheries Act.

Workers clear up dead tuna washed up on Jangsa Beach in Yeongdeok Island, North Gyeongsang, on July 28. [NEWS1]

Currently, the price of tax-free oil is 265,100 won ($193) per 200 liters, or one drum, of diesel, and 236,750 won for gasoline. During the same period last year, diesel was 129,330 won and gasoline was 152,270 won. In just one year, the price of diesel has risen by 135,770 won and gasoline by 84,480 won.

“Sometimes as much as 20 tons of tuna are caught in a day, but the quota allocated to Gangwon is small so we have to throw away all the excess tuna,” said Kim. “I spend more energy throwing away fish than catching them.”

The annual quota for the Gangwon area has already been revised twice this year and now stands at 61 tons from the original 24.4 tons set for 2022, upon the request of fishermen and maritime authorities located in Gangwon.

But that revised threshold has already been met.

Previous quotas for tuna were 33 tons in 2019, 32 tons in 2020 and 44 tons in 2021. Currently, the quota for tuna for all of Korea is 870 tons. Of this, 713 tons is allocated allocated to waters off Busan and 74.4 tons to North Gyeongsang.

“We may manage to throw away tuna this year, but if more tuna is caught in the future due to climate change and rising water temperatures, problems concerning labor and oil prices will become serious,” said one fisherman. “Measures to prevent damages to fishermen, such as increasing the quota of tuna, are needed.”

Fishermen from Yeongdeok Island, North Gyeongsang hold a rally urging the abolition of tuna quota in front of the presidential office in Yongsan on August 8. [NEWS1]

Shoals of tuna are more frequently found on the east coast of Gangwon due to a rise in water temperature and changes in ocean currents caused by climate change. Tuna was first caught off the east coast of Gangwon in 2018, according to Gangwon provincial offices. Since then, the amount of tuna caught has been increasing each year from 28 tons in 2019, to 31 tons in 2020 and 39 tons in 2021.

“The catch of tuna is increasing, but the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries cannot arbitrarily adjust the domestic quota,” said an official from the Gangwon provincial office dealing in ocean issues. “We will actively suggest to the ministry that the allocated quota for Gangwon should be increased.”

BY PARK JIN-HO [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]