대한민국 수산물 인사이트

In the first half of the year, the import value of frozen cod was $63.59 million, almost unchanged from $63.57 million the previous year. The average import price was $1.08 per kilogram, an increase of 11% from $0.97 in 2024. The majority of frozen cod imported by South Korea still comes from Russia, accounting for 96.58% of the total imports, with an average price of $1.06. A smaller share comes from the United States, accounting for 3.18%, with an average price of $1.62, and China's price is $1.73.

According to the World Bank's "2023 Global Seaweed Market Report," seaweed is a powerful climate ally, a form of "blue carbon" in marine and coastal ecosystems that absorbs carbon and supports biodiversity. The report highlights 10 emerging areas for seaweed applications, such as bioplastics, animal feed, and nutritional supplements. Most cultivated seaweed is still used for food or aquaculture, with 98% of the global supply coming from a few Asian countries, including South Korea. As the world's third-largest seaweed producer and largest kelp exporter, South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is creating underwater ecosystems densely populated with seaweed species, known as "sea forests." Since 2009, South Korea has established over 347 square kilometers of sea forests, currently absorbing approximately 117,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has set a goal to increase South Korea's blue carbon absorption to 1.07 million tons by 2030 and to 1.36 million tons by 2050. South Korean companies have begun to focus on advancing land-based seaweed cultivation.

Recently, as the stock of crab has significantly decreased in some areas of the West Sea, making the situation for fishermen increasingly difficult, the Chungnam Fisheries Resources Research Institute has taken action to recover the resources by urgently releasing 220,000 young crabs. Crabs are a type of seafood in South Korea with high year-round consumption, but due to the decrease in resources and growth problems in the West Sea, the annual catch has been decreasing, causing significant damage to fishermen. In response, the Chungnam Fisheries Resources Research Institute sequentially released a total of 220,000 young crabs in Taean (July 1) and Seocheon (July 4), with 100,000 crabs in each location, and 20,000 crabs in Dangjin (July 28).