Ongjin County (Governor Jang Jeong-min) announced that it released 300,000 rockfish fry into coastal waters off Jangbong Island on Aug. 13 to boost fishermen's incomes and restore marine resources.
 [The Korean Today] Rockfish fry release site © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
Rockfish mainly inhabit shallow coastal waters with well-developed reefs. The fry released this time are expected to grow in their natural habitat and mature into adult fish within two to three years, helping to directly and indirectly increase incomes for local fishermen.
Ongjin County plans to go beyond this release at Jangbong Island, sequentially releasing about 850,000 additional rockfish fry into coastal waters off Yeonpyeong Island, Deokjeok Island, Jawol Island and Daecheong Island during August.
The fry released this time had grown to more than 6 centimeters in length and passed an infectious disease inspection for aquatic organisms conducted by the Incheon branch of the National Fishery Products Quality Management Service. They also underwent genetic testing at Seoul National University, which strictly verified parentage and confirmed the fry were not self-produced.
 [The Korean Today] Rockfish fry released off the coast of Jangbong Island © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
An Ongjin County official said, "We are continuously pursuing marine resource creation and management projects that actively reflect the species that fishermen want." The official added, "We will do our best to restore and boost marine resources and help increase fishermen's incomes by releasing healthy, quality fishery fry."
As Ongjin County is an island region located at the northwesternmost point of the West Sea, fishing forms the backbone of the local economy. Accordingly, the county has artificially reinforced coastal marine resources every year through fry release projects by species. Releasing quality fry that has passed both infectious disease inspection and genetic testing is seen as an effort to enhance the effectiveness of the resource creation project.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
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