Changwon Special City Launches Full-Scale Environmental Improvement of Jindongman Aquaculture Farms

Fishermen Promote Revitalization of Aquaculture Industry

Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam Province is set to actively promote the 'Jindongman Clean Fishing Ground Restoration Project.'

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Song Jong-gu] Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam announced on the 3rd that the "Jindongman Clean Fishery Regeneration Project" to improve the overcrowded and aging aquaculture farm environment will be actively promoted, starting with the commencement of fishery purification work in January.

The Clean Fishery Regeneration Project is a national and provincial government-funded public contest project aimed at improving overcrowded and aging fishery environments to establish a sustainable fishery production base and secure safe seafood. The scale of the Jindongman project is 500 hectares, with a budget of 5 billion KRW.

Due to the decline in productivity of sea squirts and other species in the Jindongman area and worsening fishing management conditions caused by hypoxic water masses, a survey on aquaculture farm pollution was conducted in 2021 to establish a clean fishery regeneration roadmap. The project site was applied for to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and was selected as a public contest project.

The main projects include ▲ basic survey and detailed design of the project site ▲ treatment of polluted sediments and waste ▲ support for fishery purification and fishery facility reinstallation costs ▲ establishment of a marine environment monitoring system ▲ project diagnosis monitoring and effect analysis ▲ education on management plans for aquaculture environment management, establishing a comprehensive system to improve the fishery environment.

For efficient project implementation, the city signed a business agreement with the Korea Fisheries Infrastructure Public Corporation and continuously held public hearings, project briefings, and reporting sessions with fishermen.

Following the completion of basic surveys and designs regarding purification methods, scale, project volume, and stocking costs, fishery facilities within the project site were dismantled, and fishery purification work has now been actively carried out.

Accordingly, the city plans to complete the project within this year by progressively implementing the establishment of a marine environment monitoring system, project diagnosis and effect measurement, fishery environment management education, and promotion, marketing, and consulting of local products.

Through this comprehensive and systematic clean fishery regeneration project in Jindongman, it is expected to play a very significant role in revitalizing the aquaculture industry by improving the quality, shortening the growth period, and increasing the production volume of aquaculture seafood such as sea squirts and Omandong produced in Jindongman.

Hong Nam-pyo, Mayor of Changwon Special City, stated, “We will faithfully promote this clean fishery regeneration project so that Jindongman can be reborn as a rich fishery, increasing the production volume of high value-added sustainable aquaculture products, thereby playing a leading role in the local fishery industry in various ways along with the aquaculture industry. We will also do our best to thoroughly promote the project to further enhance the brand value of aquaculture products produced in Jindongman by seeking continuous management and maintenance plans for the project site together with fishermen.”