[News Today] WARM SEA IMPACTS FISHERIES

[LEAD]
Although it's winter season, the aftermath of last summer’s high sea temperatures persists at sea. Winter’s key fish, cod, has dramatically declined in catches. Meanwhile, aquaculture seafood, devastated last summer, still struggles to rebound.

[REPORT]
An auction is in full swing at a port in Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do Province.

The fish inside the baskets are largely snailfish or halibut.

Cod, which should be in season, are hardly found.

Buyers fight for the few that do show up.

Auctioneer /
Here's a cod, a single cod.

This is quite different from previous years when cod were readily available at the markets. That's because the cod haul fell to just one-fourth the usual amount.

The temperature of the South Sea didn't fall that much compared to last summer, keeping cod, a cold-water fish, from returning to Korean waters.

Kim Tae-hun / Cod Fisherman
Water temperature isn't falling as quickly as before, so we don't have much time
left to fish. We used to catch about 300kg at one go, but now, only 50kg.

The temperatures of eastern and southern coastal waters stand between 13 and 16 degrees Celsius and between 11 and 17 degrees respectively. That's roughly one to four degrees higher than the temperatures registered just one year ago.

Last summer's high water temperature is leaving a lasting impact on not only fishing but also the distribution of marine products.

Twenty million Korean rockfish died in the South and West Sea due to high water temperatures during the summer months last year.

Shipment amount hasn't recovered still.

Park Chan-hee / Fish Restaurant Owner
Customers love rockfish stew but now it's so expensive that they can hardly
order even one bowl of it.

The price of sea squirt has risen even though its quality has fallen.

Kim Dul-li / Sea Squirt Merchant
Even poor quality goods are expensive. We have to wait few days to get them because not many of them are available.

The recent cold spell is expected to lower the seawater temperature, but in the meantime, the fishermen and marine product merchants continue to suffer incalculable losses.