Illegal Fishing

[Anchor Lead]

Illegal fishing is rampant these days in the waters off Jeollabuk-do Province. As both professional and amateur fishermen flock to the area in time for the spring fishing season, concerns are rising over the depletion of marine resources.

[Pkg]

In the waters off Gunsan, fishermen are busy catching glass eels, which are now in season. But many fishing boats lack a fishing license. Even when caught by the Korea Coast Guard, they can easily get off simply by paying a fine. The problem is especially serious because many of the illegal fishing boats use nets that do not meet requirements. This inevitably leads to the depletion of marine resources.

[Soundbite] (Fisherman (voice modified)) : "Illegal fishing boats use 20-30 times more nets than boats that have a fishing license."

Some perpetrators even illegally catch whales or deploy women-divers without reporting to the authorities in advance. In many instances, fishing boats are overcrowded or are operated by intoxicated fishermen, both of which can lead to accidents. Strengthening of monitoring activities is urgently needed to prevent illegal fishing and accidents involving fishing boats, which has become a reoccurring problem during the spring fishing season.