Comprehensive Situation Room Activated in Parts of the Southwestern Sea and Inner Coastal Areas
All-Out Efforts to Minimize Damage Through Emergency Release and Early Shipment
Park Youngchae, Director of the Marine and Fisheries Bureau of Jeonnam Province, held a press briefing at the provincial government press room on the 9th and stated, "As of 9 AM on the 9th, a high water temperature advisory has been issued for the inner sea, including parts of the West Sea and South Sea coastal areas. We have completed preemptive measures to minimize damage to aquaculture farms and have entered an immediate emergency response system." Provided by Jeonnam Province
On July 9, Jeonnam Province announced that, following the issuance of a high water temperature advisory for parts of the West Sea and South Sea coastal areas, including the inner sea, it has completed preemptive measures to minimize damage to aquaculture farms and has entered an immediate emergency response system.
This year, the rainy season was shorter and the heatwave began earlier than usual, resulting in the advisory being issued 16 days earlier than last year. Currently, coastal water temperatures in Jeonnam range from 21.1 to 30.7 degrees Celsius, which is about 1 degree higher than the annual average.
Upon the issuance of the advisory, Jeonnam Province activated its comprehensive high water temperature situation room and immediately deployed on-site response teams to 17 vulnerable areas.
Until the advisory is lifted, the province plans to strengthen on-site guidance to minimize damage to farmed fish, including suspending feed supply and providing liquefied oxygen.
Emergency release and early shipment policies will also be actively implemented to disperse risk. To this end, Jeonnam Province, together with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, producer organizations, and the distribution industry, has formed an "Early Shipment Win-Win Council" and plans to hold a consumption promotion event worth 1.5 billion KRW over three months until September. Emergency release support funds will provide up to 50 million KRW per fishery household, and the province will actively encourage voluntary participation from fishers.
Since April, Jeonnam Province has inspected the management status, including the operation of response equipment, at 3,318 aquaculture farms and has quickly provided equipment and materials worth 46.2 billion KRW to focus on preemptive measures for damage prevention.
In particular, the province has promoted active enrollment in aquaculture disaster insurance to enable rapid recovery in the event of a disaster. The insurance enrollment rate rose from 1,669 cases (38%) in 2024 to 1,773 cases (40%) in 2025. For major farmed species, the enrollment rate reached 75% for abalone and 78% for flatfish.
Field response capabilities have also been strengthened through cooperation with related agencies. At the end of June, a joint drill involving the private sector, government, and police was conducted in the waters off Nam-myeon, Yeosu, simulating a real-life situation to improve the response system. On July 8, the day before the advisory was issued, a meeting was held with officials from 22 cities and counties to discuss summer fishery disaster response plans and share recovery guidelines and major civil complaint cases.
Jeon Changwoo, Director of the Eco-Friendly Fisheries Division of Jeonnam Province, stated, "Given the significant damage suffered last year, we are taking thorough preemptive measures to respond proactively to high water temperatures this year," and urged, "We ask fishers to actively cooperate in preventing damage by strictly following management guidelines such as suspending feed supply and early shipment."
Last year, from July to October, prolonged high water temperatures caused significant damage to 990 aquaculture farms in 10 cities and counties, including Yeosu and Goheung, amounting to 57.4 billion KRW. The current response system established by Jeonnam Province is expected to serve as a comprehensive preparation framework to prevent the spread of aquaculture damage following the issuance of the high water temperature advisory and to lead to effective on-site responses.
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