Buan County Introduces North Jeolla's First "Fishing Gear Deposit System"

"Preserving the Marine Environment and Protecting Fishery Resources"

Buan County in North Jeolla Province has completed all preliminary preparations to introduce the fishing gear deposit system for the first time in the province, and will officially implement it starting in mid-July.

According to the county on July 7, the introduction of this system was promoted to encourage the voluntary collection of discarded fishing gear, which accounts for half of marine waste each year, hinders the safe navigation of vessels, and becomes a source of ghost fishing.

Buan County Office building exterior. Provided by Buan County

The fishing gear deposit system is a voluntary collection initiative in which a certain deposit amount is included in the sale price of fishing gear to fishermen at the point of sale. When fishermen return used fishing gear to a designated location, the deposit is refunded to them.

The county has been implementing the system since last year, targeting trap fishing gear, which has a high rate of disposal or loss during operations. Next year, the system will be expanded to include gillnets and aquaculture farm buoys.

The deposit amounts are set at 1,000 won for spring traps, 2,000 won for round or semi-spherical traps, and 3,000 won for rectangular traps. When fishermen return discarded trap fishing gear, the deposit will be paid to the returning fisherman. In addition to the deposit refund, the county plans to provide an additional incentive of 700 to 1,300 won per piece of discarded fishing gear collected.

To implement the fishing gear deposit system, the county has signed an administrative consignment contract with the Buan Fisheries Cooperative and has established a collection and storage site for discarded fishing gear within Gyeokpo National Fishing Port, which is easily accessible to fishermen. In addition, one staff member will be permanently stationed on-site to ensure the smooth collection of discarded fishing gear.

A county official stated, "Since the fishing gear deposit system has only recently been introduced, we will continue to listen to feedback from the field to minimize any inconvenience fishermen may experience, and we will also focus on related education and publicity." The official added, "We ask for the active cooperation of fishermen to collect and return discarded fishing gear instead of dumping or abandoning it, in order to preserve a clean marine environment and protect fishery resources."