Ganghwa County Pursues 'Fishing Village Upgrade' Through Comprehensive Maritime and Fisheries Support

[Suwon Ilbo = Reporter Seo Dong-young] Ganghwa County announced on the 18th that it is preparing comprehensive support measures for the maritime and fisheries sector in 2021 and will provide full-scale support.

The 2021 business promotion direction has been set to ▲increase fishermen's income and improve quality of life ▲successfully promote the Fishing Village New Deal project ▲create sustainable coastal spaces ▲restore mudflat ecosystems. The plan is to make every effort to innovate residential conditions in fishing village areas and establish marine tourism infrastructure.

Here is a closer look at the comprehensive maritime and fisheries support measures that Ganghwa County will implement this year.

◆ Improving Fishermen's Quality of Life Through Increased Aquaculture Income

Ganghwa County, which produces approximately 70% of the nation's shrimp sauce, is allocating 460 million won to upgrade shrimp sauce into a premium product by distributing standard containers and packaging materials and supporting cold storage facilities. The plan is to expand the shrimp sauce festival into participatory cultural events to further enhance the brand value of shrimp sauce and create a more vibrant market atmosphere.

Additionally, the county plans to release a total of 880,000 fry of high-value species including croaker, blue crab, and Korean rockfish into nearby waters to recover fisheries resources and increase fishermen's income through increased catches.

The target area for direct payment subsidies for underprivileged regions in fisheries has been expanded to the northern maritime border area. Accordingly, the county will establish a cooperation system with the Incheon Regional Maritime and Fisheries Administration to facilitate smooth registration of fishing management entities, and will promote subsidy projects such as support for fishing vessel accident prevention equipment to enable fishermen to conduct fishing activities stably.

The county plans to attract talented young manpower by providing settlement subsidies for young fishermen under 40 who return to fishing.

◆ Integrated Development of Fishing Villages and Harbors Through Fishing Village New Deal Projects

Ganghwa County plans to modernize fishing villages and harbors and revitalize marine tourism through rapid implementation of the 'Fishing Village New Deal 300 Project.'

Focusing on Fishing Village New Deal project sites including Hupo Port, Changhoo Port, Hwangsan Island Port, and Choji Port, the county plans to invest a total of 33.7 billion won by 2022 to create attractive harbors that blend with historical tourism content through construction of moorage facilities, breakwaters, creation of resident rest areas, and improved landscape facilities.

For Hari Port and Acha Port, the county will invest 1.2 billion won to improve passenger ferry terminal facilities, substantially improving infrastructure at harbors with poor accessibility to island areas, and will invest 1.7 billion won to repair and reinforce harbor facilities within the county.

Additionally, the county plans to invest a total of 2.3 billion won by 2022 in the Dongmak District, newly reflected in the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Third Coastal Maintenance Master Plan, to create Ganghwa County's representative coastal space where sand and mudflats harmonize, thereby promoting marine tourism activation.

◆ Improving Fishing Grounds Environment and Restoring Mudflat Ecosystems Through Coastal Environmental Purification

The county will establish a comprehensive promotion plan for river estuary and marine waste to ensure efficient treatment of marine waste and create a pleasant marine environment.

First, the county will invest 2.1 billion won to handle coastal (marine) waste year-round. For the collection of coastal waste generated in large quantities during heavy rains, the county will establish public-private-military cooperation while strengthening enforcement to eliminate illegal dumping.

The county will invest 700 million won in removing Spartina alterniflora, a species that disrupts marine ecosystems, to preserve mudflat ecosystems and prevent further spread. Additionally, the county plans to collect waste abandoned in harbors and ports and island areas that are frequently visited by tourists to create pleasant tourism conditions, and will handle recovered waste through purchase and treatment.

◆ County Administrator Yu Cheon-ho: "Improving Accessibility and Residential Conditions in Fishing Villages, Preparing for Post-Corona Era"

County Administrator Yu Cheon-ho stated, "I will make every effort to improve accessibility and residential conditions in fishing villages to inject vitality into the stagnant regional economy," and added, "In the post-corona era, I will certainly create a vibrant Ganghwa County brimming with tourists to harbors and fishing villages so that Ganghwa County's competitiveness can shine even more brightly."