Squid Light Lures

[Anchor Lead]

Chinese fishing vessels traveling as far out to the East Sea are scooping up the squid catch, using very strong lights to lure the squid their way. Korean fishermen are demanding government measures.

[Pkg]

This Chinese fishing vessel was detected near a site in the East Sea known as rich fishing ground for squid. The vessel has been lit up so brightly, the boat itself can hardly be seen. Chinese fishing vessels are catching squid this way, attracting them with fish-luring lamps piled more than five levels high. The illuminating power of the lights is around one million kilowatts, seven times the Korean standard of around 141-thousand kilowatts. The gaping difference in light level directly relates to the amount of squid they catch.

[Soundbite] Yang Hae-yun(Captain, Squid Catching Vessel) : "The stronger the light, the more squids gather. Chinese fishing boats then sweep them away using drag nets."

Japan also allows the use of lights in excess of 200-thousand kilowatts. This is why Korean offshore anglers are demanding that the government raise the domestic lighting standards.

[Soundbite] Park In-bong(National Offshore Angling Association) : "One can think of them as lanterns versus streaks of lightning. Korean fishermen want the light level to be raised from the current 141,000 kW to at least 250,000."

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has said that it needs to coordinate the stances of fishing vessels of different size and sector, and that it will review the request if a consensus can be reached among the fisheries community.