Women are at work at a facility for shelling oysters in Tongyeong on South Korea’s southern coast on Oct. 17, 2019. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 23 (Korea Bizwire) — A series of initiatives is being planned to enable clam and oyster shells to be recycled to improve local ecosystems at fishing grounds rather than simply being discarded.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Tuesday that a partial revision of the Marine Waste Management Act passed at a Cabinet meeting.
Previously, only dredged materials were allowed to be used in the ocean. The revision, however, cleared the way for shellfish shells to be used to improve fishing grounds.
The ministry expects the move to contribute to addressing environmental pollution by reducing the amount of shells that are left without any treatment.
The revision also includes a provision stipulating that fines levied for illegal disposal of marine waste should be set depending on the seriousness of such behaviors.
Unlike the existing law that unconditionally imposed a fine of up to 30 million won (US$26,500) or a prison terms up to three years, the revision stipulated that only the fine will be levied for minor violations.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
