Incheon Launches Joint Crackdown on Illegal Fishing Throughout October

With the autumn peak fishing season under way, the City of Incheon will join related agencies in a month-long joint crackdown on illegal fishing throughout October. By deploying nine fishery patrol vessels, the city will inspect unlawful operations and distribution across both sea and land in an integrated manner, aiming to establish order in the fishing industry and protect marine resources.

[코리안투데이] Fishery patrol vessels conducting illegal-fishing enforcement in the waters off Incheon © 장형임 기자

The Incheon Metropolitan Government (Mayor Park Chan-dae) announced that it will carry out a joint crackdown on illegal fishing for one month, beginning in October, in step with the nationwide joint enforcement period aimed at protecting marine resources. The crackdown will proceed under a cooperative framework built with the West Sea Fisheries Management Service of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, along with autonomous districts and counties.

Participants include the city’s Fisheries Division and Special Judicial Police Division, the counties and districts, and the West Sea Fisheries Management Service, with a combined total of nine fishery patrol vessels held by the city and county deployed simultaneously. Autumn is a peak season when catches increase, and it is also a time when unlicensed fishing and the overharvesting of young fish become concentrated. Enforcement during this period carries significance in safeguarding the following year’s fishery stocks and the income base of those who work in the industry.

Enforcement will be conducted in an integrated fashion at sea and on land. At sea, national fishery patrol vessels and city and county fishery patrol vessels will share information on illegal fishing in real time to raise enforcement efficiency, while on land a dedicated enforcement team will be organized to inspect the distribution and sale stages of marine products. The intent is to block illegally caught seafood from entering the market by examining not only unlawful operations at sea but also the distribution channels together.

The main targets of the crackdown are unlicensed and unpermitted operations, intrusion into no-fishing zones and operations outside permitted areas, the use of illegal fishing gear, the capture of protected marine animals (violations of closed seasons and minimum-size limits), and violations of the Total Allowable Catch (TAC). In addition, violations of safety obligations under the Fishing Vessel Safety Operation Act, such as failure to wear life jackets, failure to report port entry and departure or changes in crew members, and the operation of location-transmitting devices, have also been included as focal enforcement items.

The city plans to impose judicial and administrative measures on any illegal acts detected, in accordance with the relevant statutes. However, ahead of the crackdown, it will issue advance notice and post promotional posters and banners to encourage voluntary law-abiding operations among those in the industry. By carrying out enforcement and guidance together, the city intends to place greater weight on the voluntary establishment of order rather than on punishment.

Song Byeong-hun, head of the city’s Fisheries Division, said, ‘We are conducting a crackdown on illegal fishing to protect marine resources as the autumn peak season arrives,’ adding, ‘We will do our utmost to establish a voluntary, law-abiding order among those in the industry by carrying out on-site outreach and guidance activities alongside enforcement.’

지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화

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