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Korean anchovy fishers rediscover pride in centuries-old craft after global recognition

Published: 19 Nov. 2025, 07:00

LEE SOO-JUNG
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A boat is tied to a jukbangryeom fishery in Namhae County in South Gyeongsang in an undated photo [NAMHAE COUNTY OFFICE]

NAMHAE, South Gyeongsang — Sailing his fishing boat in the gleaming waters off the coast of Namhae, South Gyeongsang, one early November afternoon, 66-year-old anchovy fisher Kim Min-sik said he wanted to devote his late-life passion to nurturing successors to carry on his unique calling as a sustainable and traditional heritage.

Kim is one of the 23 villagers whose way of life has taken on renewed meaning after their finger-sized silver anchovies have become a source of global pride and unity in this seaside town.

“I carry an obligation to pass down my fishing technique to generations to come,” Kim said.

Unlike modern anchovy fishing on trawlers, Kim relies on jukbangryeom — circular bamboo weirs fixed to the seabed. He also wades into the water to scoop anchovies inside the weirs.

Kim first learned jukbangryeom fishing from his father as a child. It was a life lesson for him. Once a hagwon instructor teaching accounting, he belatedly turned to anchovy fishing in his early 40s after his older brother handed over ownership of a jukbangryeom that had been passed down from their father.

“I was born to an anchovy fisher, so the sea was the world to me,” Kim said. “Now, I am following my father’s trajectory.”

An anchovy caught in a jukbangryeom in Namhae, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 5. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

In the village of Jijok, 23 fishers make a living through jukbangryeom anchovy fishing. On average, the village catches 460 metric tons of anchovies and earns 2.3 billion won ($1.58 million) annually. The fishery has been a local specialty and a source of generational wealth for about 500 years.

The narrow Jijok Strait between Namhae Island and Changseon Island creates a powerful current. This creates ideal conditions for the fishery, as the fast-moving water pushes fish into the strait.

In July, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognized jukbangryeom fishery as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System — a decade after Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries designated the practice as a Korea Important Fisheries Heritage System in 2015.

Fishing can’t be greedy

Kim Min-sik, a 66-year-old anchovy fisher, stands on his fishing boat near his jukbangryeom (bamboo fishing weir) in Jijok Strait in Namhae County, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 5. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

Kim’s day is restless. On his boat named after his two daughters, “DajungDagam,” he sails across the strait twice a day — according to the tides — to check for anchovies that have entered his jukbangryeom and bring them ashore.

As the boat’s name indicates, Kim hopes that one of his daughters will continue anchovy fishing as a family legacy.

The jukbangryeom entraps fish using tidal movement. During the high tide, the V-shaped fence draws fish into a circular bamboo weir. Even at low tide, the circular weir holds the fish, preventing them from escaping. Anchovies also cannot find an exit because of their limited lateral vision.

Kim Min-sik gets rid of styrofoam marine trash at his jukbangryeom in Namhae, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 5. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

Once Kim arrives at his jukbangryeom, he jumps into the water with a net in his hands — without any safety gear. Every jukbangryeom is built on an elevated artificial platform on the seabed, allowing fishers to safely walk inside the weir and haul in their fish nets in waters roughly 1.2 meters (3.9 feet) deep.

“Our ancestors were clever enough to build this structure in the past,” Kim said.

Some 22 other fishers in the village catch anchovies as Kim does. Each jukbangryeom is privately owned. Their market value varies by location because some sites yield abundant catches while others produce little. The jukbangryeom with the highest productivity has an estimated market value of 500 million won, double what it was a decade ago.

Although a larger catch translates into higher profit, overfishing is never an option. The fishers cannot chase fish as jukbangyreom only hold fish that naturally enter the weirs. Their combined yields accounted for only two percent of Korea’s total domestic anchovy catch, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in 2017.

A v-shaped entrance of a jukbangryeom in Namhae, South Gyeongsang [LEE SOO-JUNG]

The villagers take breaks in the winter. From January to March, fishing is prohibited to allow the anchovies to breed and reproduce. During the season, a square-shaped door on the weirs remains open, allowing young anchovies to pass through them.

Every April 1, Kim returns to the sea and repeats his daily routine until the end of the year.

Finishing touch for anchovies

A man sorts anchovies, bycatch and marine trash at a processing facility in Namhae, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 5. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

On the afternoon of Nov. 5, Kim returned to the shore with three baskets full of anchovies and some other fish species. The jukbangryeom weir cannot filter out bycatch and marine trash.

Unlike other fish species that can be sold fresh, anchovies need to undergo processing as swiftly as possible — anchovies deteriorate quickly.

At a small processing facility along the shoreline, Kim and his colleague metronomically sorted anchovies, bycatch and marine trash — notably soju bottles. The freshly caught anchovies were poured into salted boiling water.

“Sea salt helps anchovies retain their shape and prevents them from decomposing,” Kim said.

Freshly caught anchovies are boiled in salt water in Namhae, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 5. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

After two or three minutes of boiling, the anchovies floated to the surface naturally. Then, Kim scooped them out and dried them in the sun. During the rainy season, the fishers use indoor drying machines.

The process is centuries-old, just like jukbangryeom fishing itself.

In marketplaces, anchovies caught through jukbangryeom fetch higher prices than other anchovies, reflecting human effort and the freshness of the catch — the fish are caught and processed nearby. Wholesalers sell 1.5 kilograms of high-quality anchovies for 200,000 won, while normal anchovies caught with trawlers are priced at 15,000 won to 20,000 won. Their retail prices are around two to three times higher than wholesale prices.

Boiled anchovies are dried in the sun in Namhae, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 5. [LEE SOO-JUNG]

However, for consumers, prices are never the problem.

“The demand always outweighs the supply,” said Kim Hae-kyung, head of the fishers’ community. “Most of the time, after selling to our regular customers, there’s nothing left for general public sales.”

An effort for better sustainability

A top view of jukbangryeom preserved in its original form with bamboo weirs and oak tree pillars in Namhae, South Gyeongsang, on Nov. 5 [LEE SOO-JUNG]

Despite being a centuries-old practice, jukbangryeom has undergone multiple revamps, adapting to modern changes.

Traditionally, the weirs were made of bamboo branches. However, Typhoon Maemi — one of Korea’s notorious typhoons that claimed 119 lives — struck the strait in 2003 and destroyed the original jukbangryeom.

Fishers sought ways to make jukbangryeom more durable. Oak tree pillars were replaced with used metal railroad tracks. Now, H-shaped steel beams stand. Instead of bamboo weirs, plastic weirs are now in use.

An aerial view of Jijok Strait in Namhae County in South Gyeongsang in an undated photo [NAMHAE COUNTY OFFICE]

However, today’s villagers — after receiving global recognition — better embrace the historical significance of their vocation.

Jeong Gwang-su, chief of the Marine Development Department at the Namhae County Office, said that jukbangryeom are both “a livelihood and cultural heritage that need to be preserved at the same time.”

“The community and the county office face a dilemma between modernizing the fishery and preserving its traditional forms,” Jeong said. “Given its historic significance, there are some limits to fully embracing modern tools.”

The Jijok fishers' community, established in 2023 to preserve their way of life, is fully onboard to uphold the traditional values.

Kim Hae-kyung said the villagers united as they prepared for the bid to become a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.

“Believing that our practice would be listed as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System, of which there are fewer than 100, the villagers now share the objective to make our fishery more valuable and raise its international profile,” Kim Hae-kyung said.

People take part in jukbangryeom fishing to catch anchovies in Namhae County in South Gyeongsang in an undated photo. [NAMHAE COUNTY OFFICE]

Despite the recent achievement, the village battles with a diminishing and aging fishing population.

“Our fishers' average age is around 70,” Kim Hae-kyung said. “This is our biggest challenge. We, as the community, would like to encourage young people to take an interest in our practice. We will provide a platform to help them become anchovy fishers. Honestly speaking, they could make more money than regular office workers.”

Jeong said the county office and the 23 fishers are jointly developing a training program to nurture new anchovy fishers among young people who have moved to the county in search of more pastoral lives.

“If young people make the leap into jukbangryeom fishing, I will teach them earnestly,” Kim Min-sik said, noting he now has a “brand-new mindset” after his skills gained global recognition. “Some villagers already learned from me when they were young. Now, I am ready to train the next generation.”

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]