Gyeonggi Province Releases 200,000 Crucian Carp into 15 Municipalities' Rivers and Reservoirs This Year

[Suwon Ilbo=Park Nohun, Reporter] Gyeonggi Province released 200,000 crucian carp, an indigenous fish species, into rivers and reservoirs throughout the province this year to create a thriving river ecosystem and increase fishermen's income.

Gyeonggi Province released 90,000 crucian carp fry into rivers and reservoirs in seven cities and counties including Nongok Stream in Gwangju on May 12-14, followed by an additional release of 110,000 crucian carp fry into rivers and reservoirs in eight cities and counties including Yeongpyeong Stream in Pocheon on September 14-17.

The released crucian carp were bred at the Gyeonggi Province Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute (located in Yangpyeong County) after the institute selected healthy parent crucian carp, collected fertilized eggs, and raised the fry in breeding ponds. The fish are high-quality stock that passed infectious disease inspections.

Crucian carp is a representative freshwater fish of Korea, famous enough to be introduced in the ‘Donguibogam’ (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine) as a nourishing food since ancient times. Adult fish grow up to 40 centimeters and are popular among freshwater anglers.

The province explained that, unlike eels and mandarin fish, crucian carp are not primarily produced by private sectors, so the ecosystem creation effect from the releases is significant.

With this crucian carp release, Gyeonggi Province's indigenous fish species stock enhancement project for this year has concluded.

The province released a total of 1.96 million fish this year, including 200,000 crucian carp fry, 65,000 loach fry, and 1.7 million ice fish larvae.

The release project, which the province has continued since 1989, selects rivers and locations suitable for young fish survival through annual inland water ecosystem surveys.

Lee Sang-woo, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute, said, “We are conducting research and development of seed production technologies for endangered indigenous fish species to preserve the inland aquatic ecosystem in the province, and we are promoting continuous release projects.” He added, “We will do our best to return thriving rivers to our residents.”