[Anchor]
As a scorching heatwave sweeps across the southern regions, seawater temperatures are rising rapidly, putting aquaculture farms along the southern coast on high alert. Fishermen, who suffered mass die-offs due to high water temperatures last year, are growing increasingly anxious as they fear a repeat of the same disaster.
Reporter Choi Hyuk-gyu from KNN.
[Reporter]
This fish farm is located in Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, where a high water temperature advisory has been issued.
Aquaculture farmers, who suffered heavy losses from high water temperatures last year, cannot let their guard down this year either.
While there has been no major damage yet, they remain extremely nervous, never knowing when water temperatures might spike abruptly.
Shading nets to block the intense heat have now become essential facilities at the farms.
Recently, the effects of high water temperatures have begun to show gradually, with continued deaths of 40 to 50 fish per day.
[Jung Doo-jin / Fish Farmer: The longer the heatwave and high water temperatures last, the fewer fish will survive. It will bring massive losses to us fishermen.]
As the heatwave continues across the southern coast, the number of sea areas exceeding 28 degrees Celsius, the threshold for high water temperatures, is steadily increasing.
A high water temperature crisis alert "Caution" stage is currently in effect for most coastal waters along the southern coast.
Damage presumed to be caused by high water temperatures has also begun, including the mass die-off of 5,000 flathead mullets at a fish farm in Hadong, Gyeongsangnam-do, over the past weekend.
[Kim Seung-cheon / Head of Fishery Promotion Division, Tongyeong City: We are making all-out efforts to prevent damage from high water temperatures, and our city also plans to carry out emergency releases of farmed fish if the high water temperatures become severe.]
The National Institute of Fisheries Science forecasted that high water temperatures could persist for more than two months this year as well, adding that the period ahead will be the critical turning point.
[Park Tae-gyu / Researcher, National Institute of Fisheries Science: Due to the heat dome phenomenon over the Korean Peninsula, record-breaking heatwaves are expected to keep water temperatures rising continuously for the time being.]
With the heatwave forecasted to continue for a while, Gyeongsangnam-do plans to continue monitoring fish farms and supporting response equipment until high water temperature warnings are lifted.
(Video by Jeong Chang-wook / KNN)
Choi Hyuk-gyu, KNN
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