CHANGWON — South Gyeongsang Province is restructuring its aquaculture industry to replace fish species vulnerable to high water temperatures with subtropical varieties, as heat damage recurs each year. The province said on the 17th that it will raise the share of heat-resistant farmed species to 75% by 2030 from about 50% now. Korean rockfish and filefish, both vulnerable to warm water, will give way to subtropical species such as sevenband grouper and threeline grunt (Parapristipoma trilineatum), along with sea bream varieties.
Damage from high water temperatures this year totaled 26.5 billion won ($19 million) as of 5 p.m. on the 16th. A total of 8.416 million fish and abalone died, including 5.47 million Korean rockfish, along with 3,603 lines of sea squirt. That is the second-largest toll in the province's history, after 65.92 billion won in 2024.
The species shift is a core task in the province's marine and fisheries strategy for the current administration. The province has set three pillars — a clean-sea circular economy, higher value-added fisheries, and revitalized fishing villages with safer ports — to be pursued through 2030.
Support for the transition begins this year. Through a new Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries program supporting pilot aquaculture for climate adaptation, the province will subsidize purchases of new species fry and the cost of relocating farms. Sevenband grouper and threeline grunt have completed field overwintering trials and breeding research and have entered commercialization. Threeline grunt is the subject of joint research with the National Institute of Fisheries Science on species specific to the southern coast, and will be distributed to fish farms after private-sector fry production technology is transferred and pilot complexes are built. Whitefin trevally and grouper species will be distributed in phases starting in 2027.
The province aims to lift enrollment in aquaculture disaster insurance to 80% by 2030 from 46% in 2025. It will also add 15 sites by 2030 to a marine forest program that restores rocky seabeds affected by whitening. Marine debris will be handled through a smart collection system using artificial intelligence robots and drones, along with resident-participation cleanup projects, and the province will seek an additional marine resource recycling center in its western region to turn waste into reusable material.
The province is also moving the fisheries industry away from raw products toward processing, distribution and exports. From 2027 through 2030, it will spend 43.2 billion won to build a K-oyster specialized seafood cluster linking an existing seafood industry hub complex with processing facilities. South Gyeongsang is the country's largest oyster-producing region and holds shellfish production waters certified for export by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Seafood exports, which stood at $260 million in 2025, are targeted to reach $400 million by 2030, with markets expanding beyond the United States, China and Japan to Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Some 707.2 billion won will go into 30 port projects. The province will reclaim and expand a wharf at Samcheonpo Port to create one berth for 20,000-ton vessels, and will introduce a terminal operating company system for the first time among locally managed trade ports. In fishing villages, an incubator project for young fishers begins in 2027, offering leases on farms and boats along with technical training. The province will also expand five themed islands built around trekking, wedding retreats, film, healthy longevity and barrier-free access.
Under the previous administration, hand-net clam harvesting in Hadong and Gwangyang and bamboo weir fishing in Namhae were listed as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems. After introducing a 1,000-won flat fare for island residents' sea transport in March 2024, the province made travel free for vulnerable groups starting in March 2025, and in November 2024 completed the country's first facility for recycling oyster shells. Seafood exports reached $1 billion, shipped to 63 countries.
"In this term, we will build an aquaculture base resilient to the climate crisis, including high water temperatures, while concentrating our capabilities on clean seas, future-oriented fisheries and vibrant fishing villages," said Lee Sang-hoon, director general of the province's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Bureau. "We will faithfully reflect voices from the field in our policies and carry out marine and fisheries measures that residents and fishers can feel."
