GOSEONG, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — With jellyfish flocking to the coast due to high water temperatures, coastal authorities and fishermen are scrambling to protect beach visitors.
A jellyfish can grow up to 200 kilograms, large enough to rip fishing nets.
Packs of smaller jellyfish can also obstruct commercial fishing by taking away the space inside the net for other fish.
In response, Goseong County in South Gyeongsang Province decided to pay 300 won (US$023) for each kilogram of jellyfish caught during fishing and has collected more than 165 tons of the fish.
The mass outbreak of jellyfish has prompted the county to deploy 23 fishing vessels to get rid of them.
The city of Tongyeong also deployed 27 fishing boats to the coast and began offering bounties for jellyfish to minimize damage to the fishing industry.
Image Credit: Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries / Yonhap News TV / photonews@koreabizwire.com