History of Korean Aquaculture

General 

    Korea is geographically located in a thermal zone with four distinct seasons, thus it abounds in diverse marine organisms surrounding the peninsula. Aquatic organisms have been favorably consumed in Korea, having replaced much of the protein needed for normal human activities in the country. Blessed with an abundance of fisheries resources, the Koreans have developed a distinct fish food culture based on marine products. Indeed, fisheries have played an important role in food culture and early development of the food industry in Korea.

  According to the reported document, it was around 300 years ago when a commercial aquaculture was first practiced in Korea. A culture of seaweed species, Porphyra sp. appeared in estuarine waters on the southern coasts of the peninsula. Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, has also hundreds of aquaculture history. The science-based research activities were initiated since 1929 when Jinhae Inland Fisheries Research Institute of National Fisheries Research and Development Institute (NFRDI) was organized, focusing on freshwater finfish including common carp. Further initiations of inland fisheries research program were supported by additional organizations of research institute.

                   
A view of oyster farm located in the southern coastal waters of Korean peninsula.

  The aquaculture research activities for freshwater finfish had contributed to the development of mariculture. NFRDI and Pukyong National University played a central role in the mariculture development in Korea. Hatchery-based seed production is primary element for recent aquaculture because advanced aquaculture technology is based on a mass production from hatchery-based seed.
The twelve NFRDI marine hatcheries located along the coastal areas of Korean peninsula have taken some parts in technical aspects of the hatchery-based seed production technology. Due to the efforts, commercial hatcheries have thrive in this country, providing fish and shellfish farmers with the seeds for aquaculture.

  The advanced aquaculture technology also enabled to import foreign species into the domestic aquaculture industry. Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus was first imported from Thailand in 1955, followed by two carps, grass and silver carps from Japan 1965, channel catfish from America in 1972, and Israeli carp in 1973.

Studies are till going for the successful introduction of foreign species such as red drum from China, turbot from England, spotted sea bass from China, noble scallop from Japan, and white leg shrimp from USA.

                   
The seed of olive flounder produced in the marine hatchery. The flounder is one of the major marine species cultured along all coasts of the peninsula.

  Aquaculture is poised to become an important source of marine protein that Koreans need presently and in the future. Because the capture fishing industry has peaked and is likely to decline as wild stocks are diminished, aquaculture will become a growing source of seafood products. Already, a considerable percentage of all aquatic products consumed in Korea is coming from aquatic farms. For some species, the production totally comes from aquaculture activities in the country. The aquaculture industry of Korea, however, is not without problems. Outbreaks of diseases and harmful algal blooms in the farming grounds occur annually. However, efforts to get through the problems are continuous, using environmentally sound aquaculture practices.

              
Approach to molecular biology and genetics is of recent interest in the practice of modern aquaculture.

Mariculture

Seaweeds take a considerable part of total marine aquaculture production. The 1999 annual yield of mariculture products reaches 765.3 x 103 MT. The yield of seaweed is 473.7 x 103 MT, or 61.0% of the total mariculture yields. The farmed production of finfish, crustaceans, and molluscs is 258.1 x 103 MT, occupying 33.7% of the total production. Of the marine farmed production, finfish are of interest in Korea. The total finfish reached 33.5 x 103 MT, or 4.4% of the total mariculture yield. Two marine finfish, olive flounder and black rockfish, dominate all the finfish species farmed in Korea. Production of these two species has been elevated very rapidly since 1990s. For example, according to MOMAF Fisheries Data, the 1998 flounder production reached 34,115 MT, 32.9 times over 1990 production, 1,037 MT.  This production increase was much more evident in the black rockfish production. The culture systems for the species are cage for rockfish and land-based tank for flounder.  Sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus), yellow tail (Seriola quinqueradiata), red sea bream (Pagrus major), and mullet (Mugil cephalus) are cultured in Korea. The black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegeli) and parrot fish (Oplegnathus faciatus) are recent target species.

                   
Olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, is one of the most important marine species cultured in Korea.

   Crustacean culture in Korean peninsula is primarily of penaeid shrimps and crabs. Two penaeid shrimps, Chinese fleshy prawn and Kuruma prawn, have been cultured for decades on western and southern coasts of Korean peninsula, respectively. For crabs, Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) and mitten crab (E. japonicus) have been cultured in locations. The blue crab (Portunus trituberculatus) and snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) have been considered as a target species in the future.

   Some bivalves have been major species in Korean aquaculture industry.  Production of molluscan bivalves in 1999 reached 256,947 MT, making up 33.6% of the total mariculture production.  The farming area for bivalves amounts to 45,268 ha, or 41.5% of the total area devoted to mariculture.

                    
The abalones attached on a shelter. Abalones are one of the most common species cultured widely along the all coasts of Korean peninsula.

The major species cultured are oysters (Crassostrea gigas, Pinctada fucata), mussel (Mytilus coruscus), sea squirt (Halocynthia roretzi), clam (Ruditapes philippinarum), ark shells (Anadara satowi, A. broughtonii), cockles (A. granosabisenensis, A. subcrenata), scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis), and abalone (Haliotis discushannai).  Of them, oysters are dominating all the bivalve species. In 1999, oyster production was 177,259 MT, accounting for 69.0% of the total yield of cultured mollusks, and 16,135 MT (6.3%) of short neck clam and 15,135 MT (5.9%) of mussels were produced.

   Seaweeds have long aquaculture history and have been important aquatic products in Korea. The 1999 area for seaweed production amounts to 60,506 ha, or 55.4% of the total area devoted to mariculture.  The major species cultured are sea mustard (Undaria), laver (Porphyra), fusiforme (Hijikia fusiforme), kelp (Laminaria), and green algae (Euteromopha). The 1999 productions of total seaweeds are 473,672 MT; 213,706 MT for sea mustard, 205,706 MT for laver, 25,447 MT for kelp, and 22,679 MT for fusiforme.

The freshwater aquaculture      

     The 1999 yield of freshwater aquaculture products reached 11,529 MT, 10.8 times over 1979 yield. However, the production, thereafter, decreases dramatically because of the practice of new policy for freshwater preservation. The finfish species cultured are common carp (Cyprinus carpio), rainbow trout (Oncorynchus