(image: Yonhap)
GOSEONG, Sept. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — The Korea Fisheries Resources Agency announced yesterday that the year’s first capture of salmon returning to spawn took place at Daejin Port, Goseong-gun in Gangwon Province on September 12, a week later than in recent years.
The captured salmon measured 69 centimeters in length, and weighed 3.4 kilograms, on par with other first catches of previous years. The salmon is assumed to have been a fry that was released into the wild in 2014.
The salmon that are released in Korea’s waters inhabit the North Pacific Ocean for two to five years before returning to their origins to lay eggs.
In order to better tabulate the return rate of salmon to South Korea, the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency, which conducts the releases, has asked Japan and Russia, both members of the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission, for their respective data on the return rate of salmon to their countries this year.
(image: Yonhap)
Having initiated the release of salmon into the wild in 1968, South Korea has been increasing the number of salmon fry released each year.
Following the increase, the yearly catch of salmon has been growing significantly as well. In the project’s early years, only 90 returning salmon were caught.
But by 2016, the total number of returning salmon caught was approximately 100,000.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
