Pohang City Releases 510,000 Sea Cucumber Seedlings Known as the 'Ginseng of the Sea'

Spent 217 Million Won to Release Fish in 12 Local Fishing Villages

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Pohang City, Gyeongsangbuk-do announced on the 1st that it purchased approximately 510,000 sea cucumber seeds for 217 million KRW and released them into 12 local fishing village cooperatives.

Prior to the release, Pohang City conducted pest control operations to remove predatory organisms such as starfish in the fishing village cooperative's village fishing grounds to increase the survival rate of the sea cucumbers. The city purchased high-quality seeds that passed the aquatic animal infectious disease inspection by the National Institute of Fisheries Science.

On the day of the release, haenyeo (female divers) and divers belonging to the fishing village cooperatives directly participated, striving to settle the seeds in areas abundant with underwater food. The released sea cucumbers have low mobility and high survival rates, and are expected to be marketable within 1 to 2 years after release.

Jung Jong-young, Director of the Fisheries Promotion Division of Pohang City, stated, "This release will greatly help create abundant village fishing grounds and increase fishermen's income," adding, "We will continue to release high value-added species to restore fishery resources and strengthen fisheries competitiveness."