WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEPTEMBER 2017 5 New Minister and Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Appointed President Moon Jae-in appointed Mr. Kim Young-choon, a ruling party lawmaker, as the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) in June and Mr. Kim’s appointment was subsequently confirmed by the National Assembly. President Moon had earlier appointed the new Vice Minister, Kang Joon-suk, the former President of the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS). Mr. Kim has worked as chairman of the National Assembly’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries committee for the past year and has been listening to the opinions of related industries and dealing with marine fisheries issues. At his inaugural address, Mr. Kim said “The MOF has just begun its voyage to becoming a ‘Global Marine Power’ with you. The MOF will bring full vitality to the ocean by restoring marine and coastal ecosystems and environments, and developing fisheries into a high value-added industry.” Latest Asian Heatwave Sweeping South Korea The summer heatwave has been affecting normal sea surface temperatures, leading to an increase in fish mortality and causing damage in fish farms. Governmental officials heard voices from facilities, met local fishermen and municipal officials were sent to check the damage caused by high water temperature and discussed countermeasures against it. At least five fish farms on the southern island of Jeju reported the loss of at least 69,000 fish, while six fish farms in North Gyeongsang Province reported the loss of 36,000 fish in August. In Busan, at least 8,000 flatfish died in aquaculture centers. Flatfish has been one of the most common species raised in Korean fish farms, can withstand a water temperature up to 32 C. Water temperatures at some farms exceeded that level, leading to mortality. Regional Standard for Laver Products Approved by CODEX The MOF announced that Korea’s Standard for Laver Products was approved as an Asian standard in July. The drafts of the Standard for Laver Products, proposed by Korea last September, were agreed to smoothly by the Asian Regional Coordination Committee at the 40th CODEX Alimentarius Codex General Assembly held recently in Geneva. This standard will be applied to dried laver, roasted laver and seasoned laver products of the genus Pyropia, formerly Porphyra. Local names of laver are gim in Korea, nori in Japan and zicai in China. The adoption of the standard in the Asian region will greatly contribute to the increase of exports. Exports of laver seasoning jumped from US$ 79.5 million in 2010 to US$ 236.9 million last year. Eco-friendly Energy Supply Project An ecofriendly energy supply project has brought multiple beneficial effects to the aquaculture sector. The project supported the cost of installing energy-saving facilities utilizing new and renewable energy technologies at aquaculture farms to improve the energy efficiency of those operations. From 2011 to 2016, KRW148.3 billion was provided for installation of 1,285 energysaving facilities that are about 3-5 times more efficient than existing facilities on 774 fish farms. The MOF reported that fuel costs after introduction of heat pump installations, for example, was reduced by 61.7 percent per year, as analyzed by Jeju National University. The project reduced fuel cost, increased production efficiency and reduced carbon emissions, thereby solving three problems with one action. Mass Production of Bang-eo (Japanese Amberjack) Era is held Widely beloved in the winter season, bang-eo (the Korean name of the Japanese amberjack Seriola quinqueradiata) is a migratory fish that travels between the South Sea and the East Sea. The catch fluctuates greatly depending on changes in marine environmental conditions such as water temperature and ocean currents. Efforts have been made to enhance the stock since 1965, but controlled mass seed production for aquaculture has been difficult. Finally, the NIFS has succeeded in mass production Korean Chapter CHAPTER REPORTS (CONTINUED ON PAGE 72)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjExNDY=