[사회][뉴스앤이슈] Declaration of reason for distribution price “Neither sell nor eat young squid”

■ Progress: Anchor Jungah Kim, Anchor Park Gwangryul
■ Cast: Lee Choong-il / Professor, Department of Marine Resources Development, Gangneung-Wonju University

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

[앵커]

Bite squid, bullet squid. You’ve seen a lot at the mart. Now these titles disappear. To protect marine products, it was decided to completely ban the sale of young squid by major retail stores.

What other options are needed, Professor Choong-il Lee of the Department of Marine Resources Development at Gangneung-Wonju University is connected by phone. Professor, are you with me?

[이충일]

Good morning.

[앵커]

Hello. This is called Bullet Squid. That’s why many people know that it’s a different kind of squid at all. It is said not. Let’s start with an explanation of what kind of language this is.

[이충일]

There is not a separate species called bullet squid. It is commonly referred to as Ulleungdo squid, and when many people travel along the coast, there is a squid that is commonly seen in the fish market. The small size of that squid, that is, what we call young squid differently, is bullet squid.

[앵커]

So, it’s not another kind, it’s just a little squid, right?

[이충일]

That’s right.

[앵커]

So what are the characteristics of squid like this? I’m curious about the difference from the existing large squid.

[이충일]

It is also called bullet squid because it looks like a bullet. Young squids that are usually less than 20 cm tall are collectively referred to as bullet squid. And if it exceeds 20cm, you will often see a lot of squids laid out for drying while traveling along the coast. It becomes such a squid. It is a sea creature that is born in the south coast and grows in the east and west seas for about a year.

[앵커]

I’ve seen a lot of things that are sold online, but the price is probably cheaper than that of ordinary large adults.

[이충일]

Yes. It is also inexpensive in price. It is mainly caught near the coast between early spring and summer, a little earlier than when large squids are caught.

[앵커]

However, the distribution industry recently made a decision to stop selling it. What kind of background is this?

[이충일]

Since we have a lot of interest in the conservation of fisheries resources, such a system is established. Whether not catching small individuals or young fish directly helps to maintain the amount of resources is another complex matter, but a problem that should be considered from common sense There is. Not catching young individuals as much as possible is the best thing we can do for sustainable fishing. In order to do that, I think that many of these problems will be solved not only by fishermen who harvest squid, but by recognizing and participating in the importance of fisheries resources in the distribution and consumption stages.

[앵커]

Not only fishermen, but also distributors and buyers were mentioned, but bullet squid, in fact, can not be caught if it is less than 15cm right now. Still, it has been on the table for a while and is still being sold. There are a number of reasons for this. What could be the reason?

[이충일]

In order to protect fishery resources, each fish species has a fixed size. However, especially when we say squid, it is usually forbidden to be less than 15cm, but bullet squid is less than 20cm, so it is out of the range. In fact, this is difficult, contrary to what we think, in the sea, it is practically impossible to select and catch small and large fish. So, when I pulled down the fishing gear and caught it, all of the big and small fish were swept up and distributed in a fishing gear, especially a trawler, so it seems that there is still a small squid called bullet squid in circulation.

[앵커]

So, if you look at the solution now divided into three, do not catch one, do not distribute the other, and do not eat. You can see three things like this, but in the Do not hold magazine section, it is difficult for fishermen to select and catch them. If so, viewers may think that it is possible to think about it, if it is okay to select it and then release it to the sea for less than 15cm. I think you can say if you can live, how about this part?

[이충일]

Technology development is urgently needed not only in other fields but also in the fishery field. One of them is the one you just said. But when we get caught in the sea by a creature and climb onto a sea boat, most of the creatures are almost dead and already on board. Even if we select large and small fish in that situation, it is practically difficult to release them back to the sea to return them alive. In the process, I wonder if such methods to efficiently select large and small fish should be improved a lot quickly.

[앵커]

The improvement and modernization of fishing tools and fishing methods are impossible with individual fishermen’s efforts, so government and industry efforts will also be needed. It is difficult to say that it is because of bullet squid, so it is because of overfishing, but until recently, the catch of squid in the East Sea has drastically decreased. What about the actual statistics?

[이충일]

As of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when squid catch was high, the current catch is about 10% to 20% at that time. That’s why fishermen are probably hit harder than we think, their real capabilities.

[앵커]

That’s why the Ministry of Coastal and Fisheries has also come up with related protection measures, and you are also carrying out a related campaign with the Consumer Federation and the Fisheries Research Institute?

[이충일]

As mentioned earlier, there is a reason to approach young fish from a common sense point of view rather than a special thing to protect first. So, there may be many things, not one or two, that the amount of resources changes, but one of the things that human intervention can do is to protect the young fish. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a new technology in the fishing field, but I think we need to change the perception of consumption of young fish in terms of distribution and consumption.

[앵커]

I’ll ask one more. I said earlier that it was 15cm or less, and if the bullet squid is 20cm or less, then it would be okay to raise the standard to about 20 or 19. How about this part?

[이충일]

In theory, it would be better if this part is 20cm or 25cm higher. However, in the end, somebody uses it and somebody develops it, but it is not easy to limit the appropriate size at that boundary. Because, for fishermen, if the ban is raised, they will eventually have a direct problem with productivity. On the contrary, the government has to reduce the length to a smaller size to protect resources, and then there will be various conflicts with those who live in life. I think so.

[앵커]

Finally, if you ask a short question, there is a system called MSC in foreign countries. This is a kind of certification mark, certification that has gone through a distribution process or fishing activities suitable for maintaining fishery resources. What are better measures for inducing the interest of distributors and consumers, including this certification, in the current situation?

[이충일]

Those systems, similar systems that you just mentioned, have been introduced or are being prepared in Korea. In fact, it seems that it is necessary to change the perception of fisheries resources first, rather than problems caused by lack of any system or weakness in Korea than in foreign cases. For example, we can see a lot of the civil consciousness that has recently matured in various places in our society. As for how the sea and humanity can coexist, we have lived mainly on land now. Isn’t it time for us to think about the sea? Only then can I think that so-called conflicts of interest can be solved with each other.

[앵커]

It seems that there is a need for diversification of interest from distributors and consumers on coexistence, including improving fishing tools and fishing methods.

So far, we have reviewed bullet squid-related contents with Professor Choong-il Lee of the Department of Marine Resources Development at Gangneung-Wonju University. Professor, thank you for connecting today.

[이충일]

Thank you.