SEOUL, May 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s oceans ministry on Tuesday rolled out tougher regulations on sales of whales in line with its efforts to curb illegal whaling activities in local waters. Under the new rule, all whales captured illegally will be destroyed, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Previously, hunted whales [...]
BUSAN, May 26 (Korea Bizwire) – Data released on Thursday by the Cetacean Research Center (National Fisheries Research & Development Institute) has revealed that a total of 434 whales have been killed in incidental catch so far this year. According to officials, short-beaked common dolphins were the biggest victims in 2017 at 330, followed by [...]
POHANG, South Korea, March 23 (Korea Bizwire) – Although poaching whales is illegal in South Korea, exceptions are made for incidental catch of the sea mammals, including minke whales. According to the Cetacean Research Center, 352 minke whales were caught in South Korean waters from 2012 to 2016 as a result of incidental catch. The [...]
BUSAN, Feb. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – A finless porpoise rescued from Geoje Island waters last month has been safely released back to the ocean. The porpoise was accidentally caught in the fishing net of a local vessel on December 27, giving it multiple scars. Luckily, the captain of the ship reported the incident to officials [...]
ULSAN, Jan. 12 (Korea Bizwire) – Korean waters have become dangerous habitat for finless porpoises, sometimes referred to in Korea as “smiling whales” for their grinning faces. According to the Ulsan Coast Guard, a total of 9,710 whales died in the five-year period from 2011 to 2015 from either illegal poaching or unintended catch in [...]
JEJU, Aug. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – The number of indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins in the seas off Jeju Island is slowly recovering after years of steady decline, thanks to cooperation from the local fishing industry and a drop in poaching. The National Fisheries Research & Development Institute (NFRDI) first started monitoring these mammals by distinguishing their physical [...]
SEJONG, June 6 (Korea Bizwire) – A large number of endangered porpoises has been discovered near the Taean Peninsula, a sign that the marine mammals are making a comeback off South Korea’s western coast, the local park service said Monday. According to the Korea National Park Service, some 100 Indo-Pacific finless porpoises have been sighted [...]
ULSAN, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – The local government of Ulsan is looking into employing unmanned aircraft to help find whales for whale-watching tours. Since drones can have difficulty operating in high winds, the city is considering the use of unmanned helicopters. The unmanned helicopters or drones will survey the sea first, and once whales are discovered, [...]