Cormorant invasion from the sea among factors driving decline in freshwater fish stocks
The Korean torrent catfish — widely known by its colloquial name "bbagasari" — is a nocturnal freshwater species found mainly in the mid- to lower reaches of rivers, lakes and reservoirs. It is one of the most popular fish for spicy stew among freshwater varieties in Korea.
The species is a key source of income for inland fishers in Gangwon Province, but its population has been declining in recent years due in part to climate change.
Climate change aside, cormorants — birds that typically inhabit coastal waters — have been moving inland into freshwater rivers, further depleting fish stocks.
Fishers in southern Chinese regions such as Guilin and Yangshuo have a long history of using cormorants as fishing aids, so the birds' presence alone cannot be blamed for the decline in Gangwon Province's inland fish stocks. It is, in many ways, a matter of nature taking its course.
To protect and sustain the province's inland ecosystems and boost the income of local fishers, Gangwon Province will release 350,000 Korean torrent catfish — each measuring at least 4 centimeters — bred at its Inland Fisheries Resources Center, beginning Tuesday at Chuncheon Lake in Chuncheon. The fish will be released free of charge across seven key habitats in five cities and counties: Chuncheon Lake and Soyang Lake in Chuncheon, Soyang Lake in Inje, Soyang Lake and Paro Lake in Yanggu, Hoengseong Lake in Hoengseong, and the Seogang River in Yeongwol.
Since achieving mass production of the species in 2002, the Gangwon Province Inland Fisheries Resources Center has released a cumulative total of about 5.86 million fingerlings into major habitats through 2025, in an ongoing effort to restore dwindling fish populations.
Nam Jin-woo, director of the province's marine and fisheries bureau, said he hopes the healthy catfish will settle safely and help reverse the sharp decline in inland fish stocks caused by climate change and the spread of freshwater cormorants. "We also hope this will provide real, tangible benefits to local fishers," he said. "We will strengthen post-release management of the stocking areas to ensure sustainable fisheries."
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