Last year, the catch of mackerel, a national fish, decreased by 17.4% to 135,000 tons compared to the previous year (163,000 tons). The catch of hairtail dropped 26.6% to 45,000 tons compared to the previous year (61,000 tons).
According to the '2024 Fishing Production Trend Survey Results (preliminary)' released by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance on the 21st, last year's fishing production amounted to 3,610 tons, down 2.2% from the previous year. Production and catch volumes decreased in coastal fishing (-11.6%), seawater aquaculture (-1.6%), and inland fishing (-5.4%), while only deep-sea fishing saw an increase in catch volume (16.7%).
In coastal fishing, catches of mackerel, anchovy, hairtail, and squid decreased. In seawater aquaculture, the catch declined due to poor yields and reduced facility volume of clams, freshwater clams, and kelp. In inland fishing, the production of trout, freshwater clams, and clams decreased, and prices fell. However, in deep-sea fishing, catches of skipjack, squid, and cuttlefish increased, resulting in more fishing activities.
Although fishery production decreased, the fishing production amount actually increased. Last year's fishing production amount reached 1.01 trillion won, showing an increase of 6.9% compared to the previous year (943.69 billion won). The rise in the price of seaweed, along with an increase in the production of high-priced fish like some species of snapper and seabream, boosted the fishing production amount. As a result, the production amount in seawater aquaculture increased by 52.8 billion won (16.6%). With the increase in catch volume, the production amount in deep-sea fishing also rose by 32.18 billion won (26.7%) compared to the previous year.
By species, the catches of mackerel (17.4%), anchovy (-18.8%), hairtail (26.6%), crab (-23.3%), and squid (42.0%), which are known to be popular among the public, significantly decreased.
In contrast, the catch of edible seaweed saw a noticeable increase. Only 6,000 tons were caught last year, but this year, 220,000 tons were caught, reflecting a 258.3% increase. The catches of herring (30.3%) and shrimp (29.8%), as well as octopus (22.1%), also rose significantly.