Jeonbuk Province Releases 200,000 Juvenile Flower Crabs

Release at Two Coastal Sites: Gwangseung-ri, Gochang-gun and Docheong-ri, Buan-gun

12.71 Million Fish Released Until Last Year... Contributing to Fisheries Income

Jeonbuk Province released 200,000 juvenile flower crabs to restore fishery resources and increase fishermen's income.

According to the Jeonbuk Fisheries Technology Institute (Director Seo Jaehoe) on the 9th, 100,000 juvenile flower crabs produced in-house will be released along the coast of Gwangseung-ri in Gochang-gun and 100,000 along the coast of Docheong-ri in Buan-gun on the 9th and the 13th, respectively.

Jeonbuk Province releases 200,000 juvenile blue crabs to restore marine resources and increase fishing income. [Image source=Asia Economy DB]

The juvenile flower crabs to be released this time hatched after securing fertilized eggs from mother crabs in May. They were reared and managed for about one month, growing to a carapace width of approximately 1.0 to 1.5 cm. By next spring, they are expected to grow to about 15 cm, which has commercial value, helping to increase fishermen's income.

The estimated income increase for fishermen is about 4.5 to 6 million KRW. The survival rate of the 200,000 released crabs is around 30%. The market price is expected to be 30,000 to 40,000 KRW per kilogram, with four crabs per kilogram.

Meanwhile, the flower crab is a representative crustacean fishery resource in Korea and is loved as an ingredient in dishes such as steamed flower crab, flower crab soup, and marinated crab, enjoyed by people of all ages. Its average lifespan is about 2 to 3 years, and it mainly inhabits sandy or muddy bottoms at depths of 20 to 30 meters in the western and southern seas of Korea, as well as coastal waters near Japan and China.

Recently, overfishing and coastal development projects such as reclamation have raised concerns about resource depletion. The Jeonbuk Fisheries Technology Institute has been releasing juvenile flower crabs since 2000, with a total of 12.71 million crabs released up to last year.

Director Seo said, “Through the release of high value-added flower crab seeds, we expect not only resource recovery but also an increase in fishermen's income,” adding, “We will continue to produce and release varieties preferred by fishermen to help create abundant fishing grounds along the province’s coast.”