AQUAFARMING HIT HARD BY COLD SNAP

[Anchor Lead]

With the nation gripped by a cold spell for days now, parts of the West Sea has frozen. With the winter's first alert for low temperature of the sea water issued for Garorim Bay in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do Province, fishermen are concerned that the severe cold will hamper their oyster and Seaweed harvest for the winter.

[Pkg]

Chunks of ice float around off the coast of Garorim Bay in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do Province. Fishing ships remain stuck in the vast frozen mud flat. With the mercury hovering around minus ten degrees Celsius amid a cold spell, this winter's first alert for low temperature of the sea water was issued in the region. It is ten days earlier compared to last year. Seaweed farmers are troubled by the freezing weather with the harvest season coming up. They need to collect their produce sweet laver immediately in order to ship them out next month. Growing near the port, sweet laver is ruined if their roots get entangled with ice. Even if the frozen sea melts, most of the seaweed gets swept away by strong waves and the remaining ones are of low market quality.

[Soundbite] Kim Doo-hee(Seaweed farmer) : "The sweet laver was growing thick. We will suffer a big loss if they wilt in ice or are swept away by melted sea water."

Oyster farmers also worry that the severe cold would hamper the harvest. It is impossible to operate ships in the frozen sea and to pick oysters at aquafarms that are far from the land.

[Soundbite] Lee Sang-ho(Oyster farmer) : "We are not able to work, seeing our earnings drop. We need to collect and ship oysters out. But the non-operating period is getting longer."

Businesses and livelihoods of fishermen are at risk, as the sea remains frozen amid the continuing cold snap.