10 SEPTEMBER 2013 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Korean Chapter Every 10th of May is Marine Gardening Day Marine Gardening Day (aka Ocean Planting Day or Ocean Arbor Day) is a day established for planting seaweeds and marine plants in the ocean and has been established for the first time in the world by Korea. The Korean government designated every May 10 as Marine Gardening Day in the revised Fishery Resources Management Act to raise awareness about the importance of the marine ecosystem and how severe its destruction would be to humans. The world’s first Marine Gardening Day was marked by a ceremony in Woonjin Harbor in Seogwipo City, Jeju Island, with the theme of “gardening for a sea full of life.” Ms. Yoon, Jin-sook, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Mr. Woo, Guen-min, the Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and Mr. Yang, Tae-seon, President of the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency (FIRA), and various other fishery organizations participated in the ceremony. As WAS members may know, World Aquaculture 2015 will be held in Jeju Island, which is the first natural heritage site in Korea inscribed to the UNESCO’s World Heritage site list. The pristine mystery, natural beauty, and clean environment of the island attract visitors from all over the world (english.jeju.go.kr/index.php/contents/travel). Historically, the Korean government established an Arbor Day in the late 1940s to restore forests because they were devastated by excessive logging. The Arbor Day project was successfully conducted for more than 50 years and Korea now has rich forests once again. As a result, the official observation of Arbor Day ended in 2005. However, the theme is alive in the Korean people and it remains a habit to plant trees in April. By same token, the Ocean Arbor Day project has been implemented to restore marine forests. Because ocean resources are under severe stress, concerns were expressed that a Marine Gardening Day should be established to plant seaweeds and other marine plants to restore and enhance marine fisheries resources. With implementation of Marine Gardening Day, the significance of ocean devastation, like the whitening phenomenon currently proceeding in the oceans near Korea, and the importance of creating marine forests can be emphasized to the public. Marine forests, consisting of marine plants, especially kelps, provide products for human well-being and places for spawning and growth of marine animals. Moreover, by absorbing carbon dioxide, marine plants also reduce greenhouse gases and provide biomass for the production of clean bio-energy. Anyone can participate in Marine Gardening Day by constructing marine forests through planting seaweeds, collecting ocean wastes, and removing herbivorous marine animals, such as sea urchins. Currently marine forest creation is implemented by the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency (www.fira.or.kr) and the annual area created is about 700-800 ha, which is not sufficient considering the current rate of the quickly spreading whitening phenomenon. Therefore, using the launch of Marine Gardening Day by FIRA as a new opportunity, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is planning to create and manage marine forests in a systematic and efficient way by setting marine forest creation as a key project of the FIRA. Establishing Marine Gardening Day has provided an opportunity for Korea to firmly establish its status as a leading global authority on ocean reforestation. (Reported by Dr. Hwang, Sun-Do, FIRA, sdhwang@fira.or.kr.) World Fisheries Day Reels in Some Big Participants Lee, Jong-koo, president of the Korean National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives and creator of the World Day of Fisheries Cooperation, attended a ceremony celebrating this special day in Surabaya, Indonesia. In 2010, as Head Commissioner of the Fisheries Commission under the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), Lee designated June 16 for an annual celebration of the World Day of Fisheries Cooperation. Since then, people involved in the fishing industry from all over the world have come together to discuss various issues regarding the business. Lee’s contributions to improving the international fishing industry extend beyond his foundation of the world day. (Posted at Korea JoongAng Daily by Park, Hye-Min, enational@joongang.co.kr) Pukyong National University Establishes the Global Fisheries Graduate School A special graduate school in the College of Fisheries Science trains global fisheries experts. Pukyong National University (PKNU) has established a Global Fisheries Graduate School to educate people in fisheries science and technology. This is the first time to create a fisheries-focused special graduate school in PKNU, which is known as one of the top domestic marine-fisheries science and technology fields. The graduate school will contribute to the improvement of fisheries by offering new information and knowledge to middlegrade fisheries technicians and managers who working in the field. The Global Fisheries Graduate School, belonging to the College of Fisheries Science in PKNU, offers a master course with five semesters. The program offers six areas of specialization: biotechnology industrial engineering, biological resources, food industrial science and engineering, aquaculture technology, fisheries production, and marine management policy. The number of students will be fixed at 24 and the school will recruit new students soon. In addition, PKNU will add an international Fisheries Science Cooperation Course to teach fisheries technology to developing country officials who are working in the field, so it will enhance the international cooperation base in order to secure fisheries resources. Around 60 people from 32 countries have attended the international Fisheries Science Cooperation Course since it was developed by PKNU and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in 2010. “We will train creative global fisheries experts through this graduate school with the continuous study of scientific theory and its application for utilizing technology development of international CHAPTER REPORTS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjExNDY=