Mokpo Coast Guard (Chief Chae Sujun) has apprehended 18 fishermen on charges of illegally operating laver farms in the waters near Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do.
According to the Mokpo Coast Guard on the 15th, a special crackdown has been underway since November last year to prevent the indiscriminate spread of laver farming facilities that obstruct vessel navigation.
Mokpo Coast Guard apprehended 18 fishermen in a crackdown on illegal seaweed farms. The photo shows the Mokpo Coast Guard during the operation. Photo by Mokpo Coast Guard Station
This special crackdown was conducted as a joint sea and air operation, with the criminal task force identifying farms that had deviated from their licensed areas and using aerial photography to clearly document facilities operating outside the permitted zones.
During this operation, the Coast Guard detected a total of 18 facilities engaged in laver farming outside their authorized areas, in violation of the Aquaculture Industry Development Act.
A Mokpo Coast Guard official stated, "Establishing unlicensed aquaculture farms disrupts the order of the fishing industry and threatens maritime safety," adding, "We will continue to conduct comprehensive crackdowns in cooperation with related agencies, utilizing both maritime and Coast Guard aircraft, to strictly uphold maritime law and order."
Meanwhile, anyone found operating a fishery business without acquiring fishing rights in violation of the Aquaculture Industry Development Act may face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.
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