Triple disaster devastates South Korean fisheries ahead of Chuseok

Triple disaster devastates South Korean fisheries ahead of Chuseok



On the morning of the 16th, at a red sea bream farm off Mijo-myeon, Namhae, Gyeongnam Province, fishermen tirelessly scooped up red sea bream floating lifelessly on the water’s surface using nets. The “red calamity,” known as red tide, spread across the waters off Namhae for the first time in six years, suffocating the fish. Dozens of rubber basins, each holding 450–470 kg of fish, quickly filled. The faces of the fishermen turned ashen as they watched the red sea bream—raised for three years for harvest during the Chuseok holiday—die en masse.

The southern coast of Gyeongnam, a key supplier of seafood nationwide, is reeling from mass deaths of fish and shellfish. Since last month, red tide has persisted, and recently, hypoxic water masses—low-oxygen water clusters—have spread, killing farmed fish, scallops, oysters, and other shellfish. Even high-water-temperature damage, which had been relatively subdued despite the summer heatwave, is now emerging. Fishermen describe the situation as a “triple disaster” and say, “It’s like living in hell.”

Gyeongnam is home to over 420,000 square meters of net-cage farms, more than half of South Korea’s total 830,000 square meters. Approximately 70% of the country’s scallops are farmed off Goseong, and over 50% of mussels are produced in Changwon. However, as of the 15th, reports of mass deaths were received from around 220 hectares of shellfish farms in Goseong and Changwon. The cumulative damage is estimated at 4.5 billion Korean won. For scallops, which are typically harvested from October, most baskets now contain only empty shells, with no meat left. The hypoxic water masses, which form when heavy rain and rising sea temperatures reduce water circulation, have starved the scallops of oxygen. Gong Jong-yeol, chairman of the Goseong Scallop Autonomous Community, said, “We were only waiting for Chuseok and the kimchi-making season in November. This is a bolt from the blue. We harvest from October to April next year, but now we’ll be left with debt and may not even be able to farm next year.”

On the 8th, a report was filed at a net-cage farm off Yogji Island, Tongyeong, stating that approximately 3.04 million fish had died due to high water temperatures—the first such report this year. In early last month, sea temperatures around Yogji Island surged to 29°C. Fishermen reportedly stored the dead fish in freezers before submitting the report.

Red tide damage is also increasing. As of the afternoon of the 17th, a total of 2,813,808 farmed fish—including red sea bream, mullet, yellowtail, and rockfish—had died in six cities and counties: Namhae, Hadong, Geoje, Tongyeong, Sacheon, and Goseong. The total damage is estimated at 5.955 billion Korean won.

Park Tae-gyu, a marine and fisheries researcher at the National Institute of Fisheries Science, said, “It is highly unusual for red tide, hypoxic water masses, and high-water-temperature damage to occur simultaneously. These phenomena are expected to recur until this month due to abnormal climate patterns.”