Starting Next Year, National Agricultural and Fisheries University Fisheries Department Quota Expanded from 30 to 50 Students

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] Starting next year, the enrollment quota for the fisheries department at the Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries will increase to 50 students.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea National College of Agriculture and Fisheries announced on the 22nd that from next year, the fisheries department at the college will be reorganized into two departments, and 50 freshmen will be selected through early admission starting from the 23rd.

Until this year, the fisheries department at the college operated as a single department, Fisheries Aquaculture, with a quota of 30 students. To prepare for the increasing demand for specialized personnel in the fisheries aquaculture field, from 2021, it will be subdivided into two departments: Fish Aquaculture and Aquatic Invertebrate Aquaculture (including shellfish and seaweed), selecting 25 students each, totaling 50 students.

Each department will provide a three-year education program covering courses such as physiology and ecology of fish and invertebrates, aquaculture practice, aquaculture farm environmental management, smart aquaculture, fisheries law, fishery pathology, and fisheries management practice.

Graduates of the fisheries departments at the college are expected to be future key personnel leading the development of fisheries and fishing villages amid the declining and aging population of fishing communities. They are required to work in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries for six years. While working in these sectors, they will receive various policy supports such as participation in fisheries management training projects, startup support, support for returning to fishing villages, and additional points when selected as industrial technical personnel.

Lee Kyung-gyu, Director of Fisheries Policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "The departmental division was made to systematically cultivate specialized personnel in fisheries aquaculture, and we expect the college to continue playing a central role in nurturing talent for sustainable fisheries." He added, "The government plans to continuously improve the educational environment to train young and motivated professionals and support their settlement in fishing villages after graduation."