Octopus Shortage Forces Festival Cancellation in Muan

Today's final news story is about the sharp decline of octopus catches in Muan.

In Muan, Jeollanam-do, known as the home of webfoot octopus, the octopus population is plummeting.

With the catch dropping drastically, even the region's signature festival has been canceled.

Let's take a look at what is happening.

First, while Muan's octopus catch was around 3.03 million in 2023, it dropped to about 620,000 last year.

That is a decrease of over 79 percent in just two years.

The consignment sales volume for the first half of this year also dropped by more than 65 percent compared to the same period last year.

As octopus has become this scarce, prices that were around 5,000 won per octopus in 2022 and 2023 jumped to about 7,500 won last year.

Eventually, the Muan Tidal Flat Octopus Festival scheduled for next month was canceled due to a shortage of octopus supply.

Overfishing, climate change, and the destruction of tidal flat habitats are cited as the causes behind this decline in octopus numbers.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.