hankyoreh

South Jeolla Province.

Damages to brown seaweed and oyster farming along the southern coast of the peninsula are increasing as global warming has led to increased seawater temperatures.

South Jeolla Province announced Tuesday that “because of high seawater temperatures off the coast for the last three months, around half of the brown seaweed used to feed abalone in the waters off of Wando and the hanging culture oysters in the waters off of Yeosu have died off, while the rest are suffering damages from retarded development.”

September and October temperatures along the coast of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, in the center of the southern coast, were over one degree Celsius higher than the measured average value for 1971 to 2005. In September, they were 25.57 degrees, 1.28 degrees higher than the previous year’s 24.29 degrees, while in October they were discovered to have risen to 21.93 degrees, 1.06 degrees higher than last year’s 20.87 degrees.

These rising temperatures have resulted in setbacks in the production of shellfish such as oysters and cockles, and marine algae like laver and brown seaweed, which grow in cold water, and have also been affecting prices.

Around 60 percent of the 5,847 brown seaweed farms in Wando County, which is responsible for 45 percent of nationwide production, have suffered damages as over 2,300 of those that sowed spores early last September have had their brown seaweed, used to feed abalone, exhibit poor rootage and the melting away of young buds. This is because the farms were hastily established when seawater temperatures were around 26 degrees in order to meet the shipping date of mid-November, when young abalone colonize their beds, even though the appropriate water temperature for planting early harvest brown seaweed is 23 degrees.

Fishermen in major abalone-producing regions such as Nohwa and Bogildo are anxious as the price of early harvest brown seaweed has soared two to three times from 70,000-80,000 won per 100-meter strand the same time last year to 200,000 won (US$149) this year.

Choe Gap-jun, the province’s official in charge of fisheries production, said, “As the shipping of early harvest brown seaweed is delayed and the price soars, it has become an emergency alert for fishermen trying to obtain food for abalone.” Choe added, “We are recommending that they substitute dried kelp or salted seaweed as food and adjust their supply schedules.”

At 980 oyster farms in the city of Yeosu, which accounts for around 20 percent of nationwide production, around half of the oysters died and the remaining oysters suffered retarded growth as high water temperatures continued following the planting of hanging culture oysters in May and June. The harvesting season is approaching, but as the oyster harvest has worsened, prices have risen around 20 percent from last year. In production centers, prices have risen from 25,000 won last year to 30,000 won for 45 kilograms of oysters with shells, and from 5,000-8,000 won last year to 8,000-10,000 won per kilogram for raw oysters.

Yeosu’s Oyster Hanging Culture Fisheries Cooperative planning manager Jeong Dae-sin said, “Farmers are tearful as there have been many deaths and delayed growth all around.” Jeong added, “Since sea waters are still warm, it will be difficult for oyster farming this year to avoid a fierce battle in quantity and quality.”

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