Busan Metropolitan City's Fisheries Resources Research Institute will release 50,000 juvenile spotted sea bass and 2 million larval blenny (commonly known as mulmegi) into Busan's coastal waters from May 26 through June 3.
On May 26, a hands-on release event open to the public will be held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Busan Port's opening. The event will take place in front of the Songdo Beach Sports Center, and all citizens are welcome to participate.
An additional 40,000 spotted sea bass will be released at 10:30 a.m. on June 3 at the Dadae Fishing Village in Saha District. One million larval blenny each will be released at the Dadae Fishing Village at 10:30 a.m. and at the Dongseon Fishing Village in Gangseo District at 2:30 p.m. on June 4.
The spotted sea bass being released were hatched in-house from fertilized eggs obtained in November last year and raised for more than 80 days, growing to over 6 centimeters in length. The fish are disease-free and highly vigorous, and are expected to thrive in the ocean.
Spotted sea bass inhabit sandy bottoms and rock crevices in shallow coastal waters. They typically grow to 20-30 centimeters but can reach up to one meter depending on environmental conditions. The species has higher environmental adaptability than common sea bass and can spawn in both saltwater and freshwater.
The larval blenny were produced entirely in-house by the institute, from egg collection through hatching. Because blenny have a limited migratory range and tend to stay in coastal areas, the release is expected to directly boost local fishery production. A cold-water species representative of winter, mature blenny are a regional delicacy commonly served in clear or spicy soups.
"We have been continuously releasing coastal fish species such as olive flounder and black sea bream since 2009," said Kim Jun-tae, director of the institute. "We will continue to enhance fishery productivity through the release of high-quality fish seedlings and work to increase fishermen's incomes while restoring coastal resources."