Foreign fishing vessels were seized after operating in Korea's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and then underreporting their catch or lacking a fish hold (storage) diagram.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said on Feb. 9 that, together with the Korea Coast Guard, it seized six foreign fishing vessels after conducting an intensive crackdown on illegal fishing by foreign boats in our EEZ from Feb. 2 to 7.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) and the Korea Coast Guard collected 240 million won in collateral from the vessels. They also boarded and inspected 241 Chinese fishing boats, and ordered 13 to leave or blocked them.
In waters off Jeju, 15 sets of illegal Chinese anchovy drag nets (beam trawls) were found. Of these, nine were removed with a specialized demolition vessel, and all the catch was released back into the sea.
Cho Il-hwan, director-general for fisheries resources policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "We will respond firmly to illegal fishing by foreign vessels in accordance with the law and principles," adding, "We plan to accurately assess the scale of illegal gear and ask China to prevent a recurrence."