Last year's squid catch more than doubled from a year earlier. Mackerel, whose output had been sluggish due to changes in water temperature, also saw production increase by more than 60%.
On the 26th, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said total domestic fisheries production increased 8.7% from a year earlier. In particular, nearshore and coastal fisheries production for squid, mackerel, and blue crab showed signs of recovery.
In 2025, total domestic fisheries production, including nearshore and coastal fisheries, marine aquaculture, distant-water fisheries, and inland fisheries, was 3.93 million tons, up 8.7% from 3.62 million tons in 2024. The production value was 10.2366 trillion won, up 1.4% from 10.0976 trillion won in 2024.
By fishery, nearshore and coastal fisheries production totaled 978,000 tons, up 16.3% from 841,000 tons a year earlier and 7.2% from the recent five-year average of 912,000 tons. The production value totaled 4.5656 trillion won, up 9.4% year over year and 8.1% from the recent five-year average.
Among major species, production increased year over year for squid at 31,000 tons (128.5%), mackerel at 202,000 tons (62.1.%), blue crab at 26,000 tons (26.9%), and anchovy at 150,000 tons (25%).
By contrast, some species saw production declines from a year earlier, including horse mackerel at 20,000 tons (-49%), herring at 23,000 tons (-16.5%), Spanish mackerel at 34,000 tons (-8.6%), and red snow crab at 26,000 tons (-5.3%).
Marine aquaculture production totaled 2.53 million tons, up 12% and 9.5% from the previous year (2.26 million tons) and the recent five-year output (2.31 million tons), respectively. Marine aquaculture production value was 3.8017 trillion won, up 2.1% from 3.7251 trillion won a year earlier and 15.6% from the recent five-year average of 3.2893 trillion won.
Production of major farmed items was 718,000 tons of dried seaweed (gim), 631,000 tons of kelp (miyeok), 302,000 tons of oyster, 27,000 tons of abalone, 42,000 tons of olive flounder (gwangeo), and 12,000 tons of rockfish (ureok).
Distant-water fisheries production was 383,000 tons, down 20.2% and 11.9% from last year's 479,000 tons and the recent five-year average of 434,000 tons, respectively. By major species, output was 172,000 tons of skipjack, 50,000 tons of yellowfin, 22,000 tons of bigeye, 52,000 tons of squid species, 6,000 tons of Pacific saury, 29,000 tons of Alaska pollock, and 4,000 tons of toothfish species.
Inland fisheries production totaled 44,000 tons, up 9.3% from last year's 41,000 tons.
Choi Hyun-ho, director general for fisheries policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), said, "While production increased across fisheries such as nearshore and coastal and aquaculture last year, distant-water fisheries saw a decline in catch due to weak fishing ground formation caused by changes in the marine environment and resource fluctuations," adding, "We will do our best to improve fishers' business conditions to stably supply quality Korean seafood to the public and to establish fisheries and aquaculture production and supply systems resilient to climate change."