Gyeonggi-do, 20 Cases of Illegal and Negligent Marine Aquaculture Practices 'Detected'

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has uncovered a large number of fishermen who, despite obtaining fishing licenses from city and county governments, have neglected to manage their fishing grounds and have engaged in illegal or negligent marine aquaculture.

On the 27th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it conducted an on-site investigation in September of 205 licensed marine fishing grounds covering 9,400 hectares within the province to systematically manage licensed fishing grounds, uncovering a total of 20 violations of related laws and regulations.

This fishing ground management survey was conducted jointly with four coastal cities and counties: Ansan, Hwaseong, Siheung, and Gimpo.

To engage in aquaculture of seaweed, shellfish, fish, and other marine products, one must obtain a fishing license according to the Fisheries Act, and fulfill management obligations such as cleaning the fishing grounds and disposing of waste generated during aquaculture to maintain a clean fishing environment.

The types of violations identified include: ▲ failure to perform fishing ground management (cleaning) in 4 cases ▲ failure to commence fishing operations in 5 cases ▲ failure to establish fishing ground management regulations in 6 cases ▲ violation of orders to install fishing ground markers in 4 cases ▲ violation of use, restriction, or prohibition of fishing ground management vessels in 1 case.

The province plans to request administrative actions such as license cancellation, warnings, and fines from the city and county governments, which have the authority to handle licensing, against fishing rights holders who violated related laws and regulations.

Additionally, for violations subject to judicial action, relevant agencies will proceed with complaints and other measures.

The fishing ground management survey is stipulated under Article 8 of the Aquaculture Industry Development Act, requiring licensed fishing rights holders to prepare an annual aquaculture management status report for proper management.

This aims to prevent the disorderly expansion of fishing rights in advance and to organize fishing grounds through legitimate management.

Lee Sang-woo, Director of the Marine Fisheries Division of the province, emphasized, "To establish a fair fishing order based on fishing licenses, which are the foundation of the fisheries industry, and to efficiently utilize fishing grounds, we will continue to conduct investigations and crackdowns on the legality of fishing ground management operations and illegal aquaculture sites."