Full nighttime operations permitted south of 37°30' N latitude starting July 1; about 1,200 vessels expected to benefit, with annual income gains projected at 18.7 billion won ($12.3 million)

A map showing the sea areas off Incheon and Ganghwa where nighttime fishing and navigation restrictions have been eased. [Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries]
A map showing the sea areas off Incheon and Ganghwa where nighttime fishing and navigation restrictions have been eased. [Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries]

South Korea will fully lift restrictions on nighttime fishing in the coastal waters off Incheon and Gyeonggi Province starting next month, ending a 44-year ban imposed in 1982 over security concerns in the border sea zone.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced Wednesday that nighttime fishing and navigation will be fully permitted from July 1 in the Incheon and Gyeonggi coastal waters south of latitude 37°30' N.

The Incheon-Gyeonggi coast and Ganghwa waters had long been restricted to daytime-only operations — from sunrise to sunset — because of their proximity to the inter-Korean border. Fishers had repeatedly complained about lost income and operational inconvenience caused by the time limits.

The ministry coordinated with the Ministry of National Defense and local governments before launching a pilot nighttime fishing program in March. With no significant incidents — such as vessel accidents — recorded during the trial, the ministry moved to make the deregulation permanent.

Under the revised notice, fishing vessels registered in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province will be allowed to operate at night in waters south of 37°30' N.

The Ganghwa waters north of 37°30' N will run a pilot program through Dec. 31, extending permitted fishing hours to 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset.

Seven fishing grounds along the southern edge of the Ganghwa waters — Mandori B, Saeteo, Seonsu, Hupo-Gingotjiseon, Bunori, Donggeomdo and Hwangsando — will be allowed an additional hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset during the spring and autumn peak fishing seasons.

The ministry projects the changes will open roughly 3,039 square kilometers of nighttime fishing grounds in the Incheon-Gyeonggi coastal and Ganghwa waters — about four times the area of Seoul.

As a result, some 1,200 fishing vessels are expected to land an additional 3,200 metric tons of seafood per year, generating an estimated 18.7 billion won ($12.3 million) in additional annual income.

To prevent vessels from crossing the maritime border and to reduce nighttime accidents, the ministry also plans to deploy local government patrol vessels on rotating night shifts.

"We expect this regulatory improvement to help boost the income of fishers struggling with high fuel costs and to revitalize local economies," Oceans and Fisheries Minister Hwang Jong-woo said. "We will also do our utmost to improve operating conditions in the border waters and ensure safety."


adastra@heraldcorp.com