Two Men Caught Illegally Harvesting Pen Shells by Scuba Diving

Two men were caught by the Coast Guard for illegally harvesting shellfish through scuba diving.

According to the Changwon Maritime Police Station in Gyeongnam on the 3rd, the two men set out on a 1-ton fishing boat equipped with scuba gear including air tanks around 2 p.m. on the 1st, heading to the sea near Gusan-myeon, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon City.

Scuba diving equipment used for illegal harvesting (above) and illegally caught seafood. [Photo by Changwon Coast Guard]

Upon reaching the sea, they donned their scuba gear and entered the water to capture and harvest approximately 60 kg of pen shells.

The Changwon Coast Guard revealed that during a criminal investigation related to illegal skin scuba fishing, they inspected the vessel upon its return and uncovered the men’s so-called "Dokgodai" solo diving activity.

All illegally harvested items seized at the scene were released back into the sea, and the two men were arrested and are under investigation for illegal seafood harvesting.

A Changwon Coast Guard official stated, “Illegal harvesting poses a high risk of safety accidents, infringes on the rights of law-abiding fishermen through indiscriminate seafood collection, and causes significant damage to the protection and cultivation of marine resources. We will continue to intensively crack down on illegal harvesting activities.”