Changwon-si Begins Corpse Collection Operation; Plans to Deploy Numerous Fishing Boats
The sea around Masanhappo-gu, Changwon Special City, Gyeongnam, which suffered from a mass sardine die-off last year, has once again faced a sardine mass mortality event.
On the 11th, from the Kim Ju-yeol Martyr Memorial Park to the Masan Marine Nuri Park area, schools of fish were seen swimming near the surface, repeatedly raising their heads out of the water as if trying to breathe.
Dead fish began to cover the seabed, and some carcasses floated to the surface.
A school of sardines is swimming close to the surface and dying in the sea near Masanhaeyang Nuri Park, Masanhappo-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]
Based on last year’s experience, Changwon City deployed coastal gillnet fishing vessels to the site to collect carcasses as soon as they surfaced.
On the morning of the same day, the carcasses were sent to the National Institute of Fisheries Science in Busan for investigation into the cause of death.
Unlike last year, when it took time to identify the fish species and response was difficult, this year the species was quickly identified, and fishermen were requested to catch sardines.
The sardines caught by fishermen are planned to be dried or used as feed.
Changwon City plans to continue the collection work started in the afternoon and begin full-scale collection from the morning of the 12th.
A coastal gillnet fishing vessel crew member involved in collecting fish carcasses is retrieving sardine carcasses. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]
The Masan Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, which was criticized last year for delaying carcass collection and vessel monitoring despite being the competent authority during the sardine mass die-off, plans to respond this time.
Regarding whether it will play a key role as a control tower for managing the situation, it expressed a stance of “joint response.”
A Masan Maritime Affairs official said, “Rather than one agency taking the lead, we are responding together. The Maritime Affairs Office is responsible for Masan Port, while Changwon City handles Masan Marine Nuri Park and areas outside Masan Port.”
He added, “We need to confirm Changwon City’s response plan for joint action, and since most carcasses have not yet surfaced, we are currently monitoring the site through patrols. Once carcass removal is possible, two clean-up vessels will be deployed to the site.”
The marine environmental cleanup ship Nubiho is passing through the sea near Masanhappo-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam. [Photo by Lee Seryeong]
The performance of Changwon City’s marine environmental cleanup vessel ‘Nubiho,’ which was commissioned in April this year, is unlikely to be significant in this incident.
The water depth is too shallow for Nubiho to enter, and its hull is too high to pass under the sea bridge. Additionally, Changwon City judged that its functions are unsuitable for collecting carcasses.
A Changwon City official explained that Nubiho is designed to collect relatively large marine debris, such as large trees flowing into the sea during typhoons or heavy rains, or dead cattle drifting in, using a large claw.
When collecting sardines, only the carcasses must be retrieved without seawater, but the equipment on Nubiho cannot selectively collect only sardines.
Instead of deploying Nubiho, Changwon City plans to lease a large number of fishing vessels for collection.
An official said, “We will go to the site early tomorrow morning to assess the amount of sardine carcasses and then decide the number of vessels to deploy. Based on current estimates, about 10 tons of carcasses are expected.”
He added, “We will collect the carcasses as quickly as possible to prevent citizens from feeling anxious or experiencing discomfort such as odors, and respond promptly once the National Institute of Fisheries Science investigation results are available.”
He also said, “We will look for ways to diversify functions, such as modifying Nubiho’s claw, similar to how excavator buckets are replaced for various uses.”
Previously, during last year’s sardine mass die-off, the National Institute of Fisheries Science announced ‘lack of oxygen in the sea’ as the main cause.
According to an oxygen level survey conducted by an expert met at Masan Marine Nuri Park on the day, the dissolved oxygen level within 1 meter depth near the park was about 1.2, less than half of the minimum level of 3, highlighting the importance of the upcoming investigation results from the National Institute of Fisheries Science.
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