Namhae County in South Gyeongsang Province is seeking to stabilize fishing industry operations through coastal fishery restructuring.
The county announced on the 16th that it will push forward with the 2026 coastal and demarcated fishery vessel and gear reduction program. The county is investing a total of 3.6 billion won in the project, including 2.52 billion won in national government funds. This represents more than double last year's budget, with approximately 50 vessels expected to be retired.
Eligible applicants are owners of vessels with coastal fishing permits and vessel ages of six years or older. Qualification requirements include continuous ownership under the applicant's name for the past three years as of the application start date (at least one person in cases of joint ownership), or ownership of a vessel 35 years or older under the applicant's name for at least one year.
Additionally, applicants must have fishing activity records of at least 60 days within the past year or at least 90 days within the past two years, and must have annual seafood sales records of at least 1.2 million won through the fishing operations subject to reduction.
Fishermen wishing to apply should visit the Namhae County Fisheries Resources Division from the 19th to the 27th of this month with vessel documents, proof of fishing activity for the past three years, four photographs of the hull (front, back, left and right sides), and identification.
A Namhae County official said, "We will do our utmost to advance this project so that the vessel reduction program can contribute to securing the sustainability of fishery resources and increasing fishermen's income."
