East Coast Oysters

[Anchor Lead]

Oysters which typically grow on the south and west coasts have been discovered in large quantities on the east coast of Gangwon-do Province. It's considered very unusual to find such a large cluster of oysters in the East Sea where sea temperatures are relatively cold.

[Pkg]

Shellfish are densely attached on this port seawall on the east coast of Gangwon-do Province where the seawater continuously flows in. They are none other than oysters which typically grow in the South and Yellow Seas. The oysters are found not only near outer harbors but also piers close to fishing vessels.

[Soundbite] Park Hyeon-suk(Fisherwoman) : "I've never seen oysters attached so densely on the east coast. They spread so quickly."

These found on the east coast are believed to be Pacific or rock oysters which have not been known to inhabit this region until now. Considering the shells are as long as 10 centimeters, the oysters appear to have been growing for more than 2 years. They could have been artificially introduced to the east coast but their expanding habitat due to global warming is believed to be the main reason.

[Soundbite] Son Sae-bom(PhD, Nat'l Institute of Fisheries Science) : "We speculate the oysters which only grew on the south coast are gradually moving eastward due to rising sea temperatures."

New headlines were made in early 2016 when Pacific oysters and a flat oyster species were confirmed to be growing in the estuary of Taehwa-gang River in Ulsan on the east coast.