Release of 32,000 Female Octopuses into Coastal Waters During Closed Season
Various Policies Including Protected Water Operation, Octopus Ranching, and Artificial Octopus Spawning Grounds
Muan County, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kim San) announced on the 24th that it is undertaking a large-scale resource restoration effort to continue the reputation of octopus, a representative local seafood.
The octopus produced in the clean tidal flats of Muan is also called "sebal nakji" (three-legged octopus) due to its thin and long legs, and is characterized by its savory taste and soft texture, recognized as the best quality nationwide.
However, due to indiscriminate overfishing and changes in the marine environment, the resources are rapidly decreasing, and Muan County is making various efforts to restore these resources.
This year, Muan County designated the octopus closed season from June 21 to July 20 and released about 32,000 mother octopuses into the county’s coastal waters during the closed season to prevent overfishing.
Additionally, since 2007, the county has designated about 200 hectares of octopus protection waters in the Tando Bay area to provide a safe habitat during the spawning season. Since 2017, through the "Octopus Ranching Project," which releases mated mother octopuses to directly increase the octopus population, fishing villages have been enabled to protect and manage octopuses on their own.
In 2020, Muan County was selected for the octopus spawning and habitat creation project, securing a total project budget of 4 billion KRW (2 billion KRW from the national government and 2 billion KRW from the county). An artificial octopus spawning ground was established in the Tando Bay area to systematically restore resources, monitor changes, analyze project effects, and collect data necessary for resource creation.
As a result of these resource creation efforts, the octopus catch in Muan County increased by about 27%, with over 150,000 catches in 2022 and 2023 compared to 120,000 catches in 2021.
Governor Kim San stated, “Octopus cannot be farmed and is greatly affected by environmental factors such as temperature and water pollution. Artificial resource creation has its limits, so it is necessary for fishermen themselves to actively work on resource recovery by prohibiting indiscriminate overfishing and complying with the closed season.”
Muan = Oh Hwan-joo, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy just8440@asiae.co.kr
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