Busan City Holds Forum on Revitalizing the Fishing Industry and Improving Related Policies to Address the Crisis of Disappearing Fishing Villages

June 6, 2 PM, Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center, Hosted by Busan Fisheries Policy Forum

Overcoming the Crisis of Fishing Village Disappearance... Policy Discussions, Keynote Presentations, and Expert Panel Discussion

On the afternoon of the 6th, at 2 PM, a forum titled "Discussion on Revitalizing the Fishing Industry and Improving Systems to Overcome the Crisis of Fishing Village Disappearance" was held at the Event Hall of the Busan Port International Exhibition and Convention Center.

Poster for the Forum on Revitalizing the Fishing Industry and Establishing Institutional Improvement Measures.

The event was hosted by the Busan Fisheries Policy Forum (Chairman Ryu Cheongro) and sponsored by the city.

Over 100 people attended, including Jo Jeonghee, President of the Korea Society of Fisheries Business Administration, Lee Gukjin, Director of Fisheries Policy at the city, Ryu Cheongro, Chairman of the Busan Fisheries Policy Forum, as well as experts from related industries, relevant organizations and groups, and fishermen.

This forum was organized to discuss policies for revitalizing the fishing industry as a way to overcome the accelerating crisis of fishing village disappearance, which has been driven by changes such as the climate crisis, regional imbalance, and demographic shifts in fishing village communities.

As fishing village tourism grows and public demand for leisure increases, the number of people who fish has surged. Consequently, the fishing industry is emerging as a solution to the crisis of fishing village disappearance. The estimated number of anglers in 2024 is 10.12 million, an increase of about 19% compared to 8.5 million in 2018.

However, issues such as a lack of docking facilities, depletion of fishery resources, deterioration of the marine environment, and conflicts with commercial fishing vessels persist, highlighting the need for policy and institutional improvements to revitalize the fishing village industry.

At the forum, Park Sangwoo, Head of the Fishing Village Research Division at the Korea Maritime Institute, gave a presentation on "Enhancing the Direction of Fishing Tourism to Overcome the Crisis of Fishing Village Disappearance," and Kim Namil, Head of the TAC Management Division at the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency, presented on "Institutional Improvements for Establishing a Sound Fishing Culture and Plans for Establishing a Fishing Promotion Agency." A comprehensive expert discussion on revitalizing the fishing industry followed.

The panel discussion was chaired by Jo Jeonghee, President of the Korea Society of Fisheries Business Administration, and included Lee Gukjin, Director of Fisheries Policy at the city; Cha Bongjin, Head of Fisheries Engineering at the National Institute of Fisheries Science; Choi Hyojeong, Head of the Fishing Village Promotion Office at the Korea Fishing Village and Port Authority; Lee Jaehyung, Professor at Korea Maritime University; Lee Chungeun, President of the Korea Sport Fishing Association; Kang Yangseok, President of the Busan City Fisheries Cooperative Fishing Village Leaders Council; and Oh Gyewon, Editorial Board Member of Monthly Sea Fishing & Sea Lure.

The city is striving to attract fishing tourism infrastructure to revitalize the local fishing industry, establish a sound fishing culture, and invigorate urban fishing villages. It is also continuously conducting land and sea guidance and promotional activities for the protection of fishery resources, as well as safety inspections of fishing vessels.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is also establishing and implementing a basic plan for fishing promotion with the vision of "safe and sustainable fishing" and a "fishing industry that revitalizes the local economy."

Ryu Cheongro, Chairman of the Busan Fisheries Policy Forum, stated, "Through this forum, we were able to hear a variety of opinions on revitalizing the fishing industry," and added, "I hope that the fishing industry will breathe new life into urban fishing villages facing the risk of disappearance."

Shim Seongtae, Director of the City’s Department of Marine, Agriculture and Fisheries, said, "Our city is actively working to create urban fishing villages that people want to visit again," and added, "Based on the opinions raised at this forum, we will seek and implement various policies to establish a sound fishing culture."