Samcheok City in Gangwon Province has been selected for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' "2026 Sea Forest Creation Project" and will begin implementing the project this year.
Recently, the East Sea has reached a point where the spawning and habitat grounds of fish and shellfish are being damaged and the marine ecosystem is being destroyed, undermining the very foundation of local fisheries. This has been caused by the spread of "grazing" phenomena, known as "marine desertification" or "whitening," in which coastal seaweed beds disappear.
In response, the city will carry out the sea forest creation project to resolve the grazing phenomenon and restore the coastal ecological environment, thereby establishing a sustainable foundation for the use of fishery resources.
The project will be implemented in stages over four years, from 2026 to 2029, in the waters off Imwon in Wondeok-eup, with a total investment of 1.192 billion won (953 million won in national funding and 239 million won in local funding. This year, 910 million won will be invested to improve the attachment substrate of rocky reefs so that seaweeds can take root, and to build an ecological base through the direct and indirect transplantation of seaweeds and the spread of spores. After that, the city will directly control herbivorous animals and maximize the effectiveness of the project through continuous monitoring and follow-up management.
An official from Samcheok City said, "In addition to this sea forest creation project, we will do our best to maximize the effectiveness of our initiatives, including the recovery of fishery resources, the revitalization of fishing village economies, and job creation, through diverse and continuous fishery resource enhancement projects."
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