Sinan-gun Takes Action Against High Water Temperature Damage... 820,000 Rockfish Released in Emergency Measure

Four Times More Than Last Year, with 11 Aquaculture Businesses Participating
Reduced Mortality Risks and Increased Coastal Fisheries Resources: A Win-Win Outcome

Sinan-gun in the Jeonnam-Gwangju Consolidated Special City has taken preemptive measures to minimize damages for local aquaculture farmers amid heightened risks of fish mortality due to persistently high water temperatures, including the emergency release of 820,000 rockfish into the sea.

Aquaculture farm site in the Sinan-gun area. Provided by Sinan-gun

On August 14, Sinan-gun began releasing 80,000 rockfish in the waters near Aphae-eup and plans to release a total of 820,000 rockfish as an emergency measure throughout the month.

This emergency release was initiated after a high water temperature advisory was issued for areas including Heuksan-myeon in Sinan on July 27. The goal is to reduce the density of fish in aquaculture sites and prevent losses due to temperature-induced mortality.

The emergency release effort involves 11 aquaculture businesses from three areas: Aphae-eup, Heuksan-myeon, and Anjwa-myeon.

The number of rockfish being released this year totals 820,000, representing roughly a fourfold increase compared to last year. With annual recurrences of high water temperatures increasingly raising the risk of mortalities among farmed fish, stronger participation from fishermen and proactive administrative responses have led to this significant expansion in scale.

When high water temperatures persist, farmed fish face a greater risk of lower survival rates due to oxygen depletion and stress; reducing breeding density is an effective preventive measure. The county plans to preemptively release market-size rockfish before shipment, thereby lowering the density in aquaculture sites and minimizing any additional mortality losses.

The rockfish being released have all passed disease screening by the National Fishery Products Quality Management Service, ensuring they are healthy specimens. The county expects this operation will not only protect aquaculture farmers but also help increase coastal fishery resources.

Protective measures for fishery resources will continue after the releases. Sinan-gun, in collaboration with the local fishermen’s communities, will strengthen protective actions by imposing temporary fishing bans and restrictions on gear use in the release areas, aiming to boost the survival rate of the released rockfish.

Going forward, the county will closely monitor water temperatures and aquaculture site conditions in various regions, further reinforce on-site responses against prolonged high temperatures, and actively seek expanded government support and new projects to bolster the business stability of aquaculture farmers.

Kim Taeseong, head of Sinan-gun, stated, "The growing difficulties faced by aquaculture fishers due to annual high water temperatures require active proposals for national funding and efforts to secure new business initiatives to ensure damage prevention and business stability. We will continue to focus on field-oriented responses so that fishermen can work with peace of mind in their livelihoods."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.