The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is considering introducing dedicated fishing boats and transitioning the fishing boat industry to a licensing system. This is due to the judgment that there is insufficient safety awareness among the 5 million people who use fishing boats annually, leading to ongoing accidents.
According to related departments on the 11th, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Fisheries Resource Policy Division has recently selected 'the establishment of a plan for introducing dedicated fishing boats' as a research project and decided to conduct a research service by November this year.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has decided to review a plan to separate current fishing boats into multi-purpose fishing boats and dedicated fishing boats through the research service. This includes reviewing the prohibition of fishing boat operations and restrictions on catch limits.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to analyze and compare overseas cases and assess the necessity of operating dedicated fishing boats through the research service. Comprehensive management measures, including vessel standards, management entities, catch limits, and duty-free fuel, will also be reviewed.
Currently, the distinction between fishing boats and dedicated fishing boats is not clear. According to the enforcement rules of the Fishery Management and Promotion Act enacted in 1995, one must first report as a fishing boat to register as a dedicated fishing boat.
This is because the law was originally established to consider small-scale fishermen whose income was halted during the lean fishing season. It allowed fishermen to use fishing boats as a side business for fishing. However, many fishermen currently report as fishing boats and operate only dedicated fishing boats for fishing guests.
The problem is that as the number of fishing guests increases, the number of passengers using fishing boats has reached 5 million annually, and safety accidents continue to occur on fishing boats. According to the Korea Coast Guard, the number of fishing boat passengers, which was 3.01 million in 2015, increased to 4.95 million last year. During the same period, safety accidents rose from 206 cases to 383 cases, approximately 1.8 times.
There are many cases where significant accidents occur due to the failure to comply with safety regulations, such as not wearing life jackets while using fishing boats. According to a Coast Guard investigation, during the past five years (2020-2024), 87.1% of the recreational activity-related coastal accident victims had not worn life jackets, while 91.9% of fatalities had also not worn life jackets.
Additionally, there are instances where fishing guests are disguised as crew members or where guests exceed the boarding limit (22 people based on a 9.77-ton capacity) and are caught.
The government is expected to focus on establishing strict safety and departure standards if a dedicated fishing boat system is introduced. A Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official noted, "Accidents frequently occur on fishing boats, and we are reviewing the dedicated fishing boat system to strengthen safety management," adding that "the Philippines designates fishing as a recreational activity to protect resources."
The key issue is whether the government can quell the opposition from fishermen. The dedicated fishing boat system is a contentious issue among fishermen. Those who operate fishing boats as a side business fear that the introduction of this system would reduce their additional income. There could also be added issues regarding the expense of retrofitting boats if safety standards for fishing boats are strengthened.
Conversely, some argue that dedicated fishing boats must be introduced to limit catch volumes because fishing guests excessively capture fishery resources. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries believes that if dedicated fishing boats are introduced, it will be possible to apply quotas to protect fishery resources.
If dedicated fishing boats are introduced, there is expected to be controversy over duty-free fuel as well. According to the Tax Special Cases Limitation Act, fishing boats can receive duty-free fuel for fishing purposes. This is aimed at increasing the income of fishermen. Fishermen engaging in fishery activities point out, "Why should leisure fishing boats receive duty-free fuel?"
This is not the first time the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has attempted to regulate fishing boats. Following a 2017 collision accident involving fishing boats near Yeongheung Island that resulted in 15 fatalities and only 7 survivors, the ministry proposed transitioning the fishing boat industry from a reporting system to a licensing system.
At that time, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries discussed reducing the boarding capacity of fishing boats, while central government guidelines would be established regarding operating hours, operational areas, and fishing control zones. Alongside this, they also stated they would consider maximum speed limits, route setting, navigation regulations, and dredging-related measures.
However, the bill failed to pass due to strong opposition from fishermen. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries only pushed for a bill to strengthen reporting requirements for fishing boats in 2019. This included provisions mandating annual safety inspections for fishing boats and specifying that the captain of a fishing boat must have a small vessel operator's license or a higher-grade maritime license, with at least 2 years of experience on a vessel or over 120 days of entry and exit records.
A Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official remarked, "Previously, we could not transition fishing boats from a reporting system to a licensing system due to strong opposition from fishermen," adding that "we plan to continue research services related to this issue while seeking to address safety concerns and resource shortages."