"Grow Strong and Healthy!" ... Ulleung-gun Releases Juvenile Abalone

On April 1st, Ulleung-gun, Gyeongbuk, released 73,000 juvenile abalones into village fishing grounds within the region to create abundant marine resources and increase fishermen's income.

The juvenile abalones released this time were produced by the Gyeongbuk Fisheries Resources Research Institute to cultivate abalone resources in five coastal cities and counties of Gyeongbuk, producing and distributing a total of approximately 480,000 juvenile abalones.

Fishermen divers from the fishing cooperative are releasing juvenile abalone into the coastal waters of the Cheonbu and Hyeonpori village fishing grounds.

These juvenile abalones are healthy breeds with secured genetic diversity, having undergone infectious disease inspections and pre- and post-impact surveys. Fishermen divers safely settled them in village fishing grounds abundant with rocky reefs and seaweed, creating optimal conditions to help them adapt well to their habitats.

Abalones are commonly found in rocky reef areas of clean seas and possess ecological characteristics suitable for the Ulleung-gun marine area.

Since abalones are in high demand not only in Korea but throughout the East Asian region, wild abalones are at risk of extinction. The number of abalones is gradually decreasing due to rising water temperatures and the phenomenon of seaweed bed degradation (seafloor desertification). This release is expected to have a positive impact on increasing marine resources in the county’s village fishing grounds.

Nam Han-kwon, the county governor, stated, “I hope this release will strengthen the competitiveness of Ulleung fishermen and greatly contribute to increasing fishermen’s income.”