Blue Crab Ban Lifted, But Scattered Catch Plunges Harvest

[Anchor]

The two-month fishing ban on blue crabs in the Yellow Sea has ended, and full-scale operations began early this morning (August 21). However, the first-day catch fell far short of last year's levels. Changes in seawater temperature appear to have played a role.

Reporter Jeong Seong-jin visited the site.

[Reporter]

In the early hours before sunrise, blue crab fishing boats returning through the rain make their way into the port.

Boxes filled with blue crabs are unloaded one by one, but they quickly empty out.

[Kim Seong-tae / Fisherman: Oh, it is not much. It is quite disappointing. I think it will get a little better starting tomorrow.]

A boat that brought in 4 tons of blue crabs on the first day of the ban's lifting last year carried only about 1 ton this year, which is a fraction of the amount.

[Yang Won / Fisherman: There are not many crabs this year. We should be seeing some young crabs, but we only see older ones.]

The distribution of underwater water temperatures is cited as the cause of the decreased catch.

Normally, when the cold water in the lower layers of the Yellow Sea expands, blue crabs' activity zones narrow, causing fishing grounds to become densely concentrated. However, analysis shows that this cold water influence has weakened this year.

[Lee Seon-gil / National Institute of Fisheries Science Senior Researcher: The influence of the Yellow Sea Cold Bottom Water below 10°C (50°F) has weakened, causing the blue crabs to scatter across the entire Yellow Sea....]

People in the field say that rising water temperatures also had an impact.

[Moon Seong-hoon / Distributor: We believe that the impact of high water temperatures is definitely present. Because the water temperature is high, the food chain may be partially damaged....]

However, as it is understood that the total population of blue crabs in the sea has not decreased, the catch is expected to gradually recover.

These are the autumn blue crabs caught for the first time since the fishing ban ended.

After packaging, the blue crabs will be shipped to large supermarkets nationwide and are scheduled to go on sale starting today.

Long lines formed at large supermarkets upon hearing the news of the crabs' arrival.

[Hong Hye-kyung / Seongdong-gu, Seoul: I always check the flyers and the news to see when the fishing ban ends. That is why I rushed right over to buy them.]

In line with the start of fishing, retail industries such as major supermarkets have entered a lowest-price competition by lowering retail prices further than last year.

(Photo: Kim Han-gyeol | Video by Kim Jun-hee | Graphics by Kim Han-gil | VJ: Jeong Han-wuk)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.