SQUID FISHING IN FULL SWING

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The west sea off Chungcheongnam-do Province is a perfect place to do some squid fishing. Warm currents flow into the West Sea to boost catch, making squids one of the top summer seafood of the west coast.

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Fishermen haul buckets of red squids off the boat. The squids were caught in waters off the west shore overnight. Now that the West Sea squid fishing season has returned, the port is busy with fishing boats from all over the country.

[Soundbite] Byeon Geum-ja(Seafood Broker) : "West coast squids are plump and tasty since they feed on plenty of anchovies and small fish in the West Sea."

The squids caught in the west coast of Chungcheongnam-do Province near the Seoul metropolitan area are popular since they remain fresh. About 100,000 squids were auctioned off at Sinjin Port in Taean on this day alone. Roughly 17,000 were live squids. However, this year's catch is at an average level since the amount fell a little from last year's big haul. A box of 20 squids fetched between 40,000 and 45,000 won at the auction. Once the squid season peaks this month, the prices are likely to go lower since the catch would be bigger.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyeong-seop(Seosan Fisheries Co-op Auctioneer) : "We get about 150,000 squids per day between early July and Chuseok holiday. Aug. and Sept. are the peak season with the biggest catch."

Squid fishing in the West Sea off Chungcheongnam-do Province continues until September. The East Sea used to be the main producer of squids. But now squids have become the most plentiful seafood in the west coast, attracting many tourists to the region.