[Disappearing Squid] Saengsaeng Experience, Only 15 Caught in 7 Hours... Worst in 30 Years

Ulleungdo Squid Fishing Boat Boarding Report
"Even Catching 20 Squid in a Day Is Difficult"
Rapid Decline in Catch Leads to Surge in Squid Fishing Boats Abandoning Operations

An 11-ton jigging fishing vessel departing from Jeodong Port in Ulleung-gun caught only 22 squid, including juvenile and cuttlefish, after 8 hours of fishing. The fishing vessels docked at Jeodong Port showed about ten days of fishing activity per month. A reporter fishing for squid using a manual jigging machine. Photo by Lee Kyung-do PD

[Ulleungdo=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] On the 10th of last month, around 4 p.m., at Jeodong Port, Ulleung-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. The expression of Captain Bang, the captain of the fishing vessel Daeyangho, looking at the densely anchored squid fishing boats, was only complicated. “We go out if we catch something, but since we don’t catch anything... more than half of the boats haven’t gone out for over three months. It’s a reality that even catching twenty squid is difficult.” The reputation of Ulleungdo, widely known as a representative squid production area in Korea, has faced a crisis in recent years. The fishing lights (集魚燈) that beautifully decorated the middle of the East Sea are now hard to find. At dusk, loosening the tied ropes and setting out alone to fish, the reporter also boarded Daeyangho and headed out to sea.

At 37 degrees 31 minutes 34 seconds north latitude and 130 degrees 58 minutes 47 seconds east longitude, Captain Bang stopped the engine after exchanging information with nearby fishing boats via radio. When asked why he didn’t go further, he replied, “If we go further, we have to go over 60 km, but often we don’t even cover the fuel cost, so we fish nearby.”

Captain Bang Jae-gwan of the Daeyangho, with 30 years of squid fishing experience, kept saying "There are no squid" while repeatedly looking out the window of the wheelhouse at the sea. Photo by Lee Kyung-do PD

Near Daeyangho, there were two fishing boats: one belonging to the Jeodong Fishing Cooperative that had arrived earlier and one from inland. When Captain Bang gestured, an Indonesian crew member threw something heavy into the sea from the stern deck. It was a water sail installed to maintain position against rough waves. The two rows of dazzlingly bright fishing lights were all turned on, and after lowering the automatic jigging device (also called chaenoki, a device that automatically reels in multiple fishing lines attached to a machine) weights below the surface and turning on the power, the full-scale squid fishing began with a roar.

At the bow, there was a manual jigging device. The fishing line, about 10 meters long, had colorful fluorescent lures attached at regular intervals, and the speed of lowering and raising was determined by the crew’s intuition. Mr. Belap, a 26-year-old crew member who majored in navigation in Indonesia, skillfully began jigging. He introduced himself as having worked on deep-sea fishing vessels for two years after graduating from university and said he had been employed in Ulleungdo for about two years along with nine school seniors and juniors.

Employment Status of Foreign Seafarers in Korea. Graphic by Jin-Kyung Lee, Designer

43% of Domestic Crew Are Foreigners, Indonesians Are the Most Numerous

According to the 2019 Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Crew Statistics Yearbook, 43% of domestic employed crew members are foreigners. In the past, coastal vessels had many Filipino and Myanmar crew members, but recently, the number of Indonesian crew members has been increasing. The 2018 statistics showed that among 26,321 foreign employed crew members, 9,084 (34.5%) were Indonesian. Belap, who was operating the jigging device, smiled and added, “There are many juniors who want to come to Korea like me.”

Two hours into fishing, there was still no sign of squid. Captain Bang, who was looking at the fish finder, came out onto the deck and prepared a meal with Belap. After briefly satisfying their hunger with a lunchbox made by the skilled captain’s wife, Captain Bang’s expression hardened as he communicated via radio with a 30-ton fishing boat fishing on the opposite side. “(The boat opposite) caught three squid and has no news.” Asking for Belap’s understanding, the reporter tried operating the manual jigging device. When the reporter’s gestures became hurried, Belap shouted, “Slowly, slowly!” After four unsuccessful attempts, a heavy feeling was transmitted to the end of the fishing line. The Ulleungdo squid appeared, spraying thin streams of water. The squid soon struggled, releasing ink instead of water, and after carefully removing it from the fishing line and sending it to the tank, Belap gave a thumbs up.

Mr. Bellap, a sailor from Indonesia, introduced himself as having studied navigation and gained experience on deep-sea fishing vessels before coming to Korea. Many of the foreign sailors boarding squid fishing boats in Ulleungdo were Indonesian sailors like him. Photo by Lee Kyung-do PD

Four hours into fishing, Captain Bang came out of the wheelhouse holding a thin bamboo stick at the bow. It was a bamboo stick wrapped with squid. He explained that this was used as bait to catch squid. Earlier, the reporter had heard from Park Illrae, the manager of the Jeodong Fishing Cooperative, that “Captain Bang is famous for catching the most squid in Ulleungdo.” Watching nearby with hope, a squid was caught on the end of his fishing line as if by magic. The reporter quickly took the stick and tried casting it but ended up empty-handed after ten attempts.

Captain Bang, with 30 years of experience in squid fishing boats, said, “I’m worried because the catch is decreasing more and more.” When asked about the cause, he took out his phone and showed a photo. “This is a Chinese fishing boat I recently saw during fishing. It has two to three times more fishing lights than our boats and the brightness is stronger. These boats sweeping squid in the North Korean East Sea waters are the biggest problem,” he pointed out.

The appearance of the Chinese fleet directly encountered by Captain Bang during fishing operations. They are known to sweep squid using pair trawl fishing in the North Korean East Sea waters, passing through the West Sea, South Sea, and East Sea. Photo by Captain Bang Jaegwan

Chinese Fishing Boats with Fishing Lights 10 Times Brighter Sweep Squid in North Korean East Sea Waters

Currently, the domestic coastal jigging fishery light power standards regulate 20-50 ton vessels to 120 kW and vessels over 65 tons to 141 kW or less. Japan allows 141 kW for vessels under 185 tons and unlimited power for larger vessels, while Russia and China have no standards, raising concerns about the competitiveness of domestic fishing boats. In the past, due to the foreign exchange crisis, the issue of fuel costs for squid fishing boats based on fishing light brightness arose, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries reduced the light power by nearly half, which now hampers domestic fishing boats.

Seven hours into fishing, was the dream of a full catch just a delusion? Only the empty jigging devices kept moving tirelessly, and except for 3-4 squid in each tank, the tanks were empty. Captain Bang, who came out of the wheelhouse, gestured to Belap, saying, “We should withdraw around here today.” After raising the deeply lowered water sail and retrieving the jigging devices, they gathered the squid in the tanks, counting 20 in total. After releasing two juveniles and excluding three cuttlefish, the day’s catch was only fifteen squid. Even though it was nearshore, considering the round-trip fuel cost and crew wages, the day’s fishing was at a loss.

After 8 hours of fishing that day, a total of 22 fish were caught. Among them, 2 were juveniles and were released, 3 were squid, and 2 were eaten raw on site, leaving only 15 fish. Considering the fuel costs and crew wages, it was a loss. Photo by Lee Kyung-do PD

Squid Catch Plummets, Down 82% Compared to Previous Year, Lowest Record Ever

On the way back, since the catch was insufficient for auction, Belap began processing squid on board. Due to the sharp decline in catch, there was a recent occasion when only 12 squid were auctioned at Jeodong Port fish market. Recently, domestic squid catch has sharply decreased to the lowest level ever. According to the Statistics Korea Fisheries Production Statistics on the 3rd of last month, squid production in October was 1,987 tons, down 9,322 tons (82%) from 11,309 tons in the same month last year. It was the lowest since squid production statistics began in 1990.

Docking the boat at Jeodong Port and stepping onto land, the clock showed 12:30 a.m. Captain Bang told Belap, “We will rest from fishing tomorrow and decide the day after based on weather conditions.” Since there were only 12 fishing days last month, Belap nodded in understanding. Captain Bang said to the reporter, “I should have captured a scene of catching many squid...” and hurried into the pitch-black darkness.