Korea sees increasing fishing boat accidents amid climate crisis

By Lee Hae-rin

Korea’s series of recent fishing vessel accidents are largely attributed to deteriorating weather conditions and declining fish stocks caused by the climate crisis, experts said Friday.

According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the number of deaths and missing persons caused by fishing boat accidents increased by 52 percent from 78 in 2023 to 119 last year.

This past week alone, the country witnessed several maritime accidents.

A fire broke out on a fishing boat off the coast of Wangdeung Island in Buan County, North Jeolla Province, Thursday. Seven of the 12 crew members went missing from the accident, and the search for them is still underway.

On Wednesday, two people were killed, and three others went missing after a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Seogwipo, Jeju Island. Five people were killed, and five people went missing as a fishing vessel sank in another accident off the waters of Geomundo Island in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, Sunday.

Fisheries science and weather experts point out changing maritime weather conditions as the key cause of the consecutive accidents. Special marine storm warnings were issued in Korea last year for 225 days, up 7.7 percent from 2023. The figure more than doubled from 20 years ago, reflecting the increasing risk of accidents from frequent gusts and high waves.

They also noted that excessive fishing by fishermen amid declining fish stocks and changing weather conditions due to climate change also played a part in the increasing number of accidents.

Some fish, such as hairtail, which has traditionally been caught near Korean coastlines, have grown scarce due to changes in seawater temperature. Such a phenomenon has led fishermen to risk fishing even under deteriorating weather conditions, according to the Korea Coast Guard.

"The cause of the recent accident is the excessive operation without preparing for deteriorating weather conditions," Kim Byeong-yeop, a professor of fishery science at Jeju National University, said.

"If the weather worsens while fishing, we have to quickly draw back the net and return quickly, but this is normally not the case [for most fishermen] due to financial reasons," the professor added.

Kim Ja-hoon, head of the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority, shared the same sentiments.

"Over the past 10 years, the number of warning issues on weather conditions in distant seas has increased by more than 10 percent every year. Yet, the [fishermen’s] working distance has gradually grown due to the lack of coastal fish resources," he said.

The Korea Coast Guard announced a period of Enhancing Special Boundaries for Maritime Safety until March 15 while also strengthening maritime safety measures.

The Coast Guard plans to deploy all maritime police vessels and equipment in areas where accidents might occur to prepare for emergencies. It will also deploy patrol boats and rescue teams in a 24-hour emergency dispatch mode.