The first self-managed fishing community composed entirely of returnee fishers has been established in Gyeonggi Province.
Gyeonggi Province announced on the 18th that the ‘Dorido’ self-managed fishing community, made up solely of returnee fishers, has been officially approved for the first time in South Korea in Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province, and will begin full-scale fishing activities.
A self-managed fishing community is an organization formed by fishers themselves to manage and utilize marine resources by establishing their own regulations that are stricter than current laws regarding closed seasons and prohibited size standards (size criteria for shellfish, etc.).
Once certain formation requirements, such as establishing internal regulations, are met, the community applies to the relevant local government and receives approval through a review process.
The Dorido Returnee Fishers Self-Managed Fishing Community consists of 25 members, all of whom are returnee fishers residing in Baekmi-ri, Hwaseong City, Gyeonggi Province.
They obtained usage rights for two village fishing grounds (50 hectares) managed by the Baekmi-ri Fishing Cooperative in Hwaseong City and formed the community. Among the 25 members, including the chairman, six are graduates of the Gyeonggi Province Returnee Fishers School.
The Dorido Returnee Fishers Self-Managed Fishing Community invested 20% of the funding for the ark shell aquaculture project themselves and has been generating income from ark shell harvesting since December of last year.
Gyeonggi Province plans to actively support the community by providing education to spread self-managed fishing, including introducing self-managed fishing policies, sharing successful community case studies, and offering follow-up management guidance, to help it become an exemplary community as soon as possible.
Kim Seong-gon, Director of the Gyeonggi Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute, said, "We expect that the participation of the Dorido returnee fishers community in self-managed fishing will greatly help address the aging problem in fishing villages and simultaneously revitalize self-managed fishing," adding, "We will strive to create success stories for returnee fishers in Gyeonggi Province."
Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province produced 66 graduates from the Returnee Fishers School between 2022 and 2023, and among them, 13 (20%) have returned to fishing villages such as Hwaseong and Ansan to engage in fishing activities.
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