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[The Public — Reporter Eun-hye Ahn] The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives welcomed an amendment to the Fisheries Resource Management Act that adds \"time\" and \"place\" to the restrictions on non-fishers' capture and harvesting of marine resources.
On the 12th, the federation said Rep. Lee Won-taek, a member of the National Assembly's Committee on Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs and Oceans and Fisheries, sponsored the amendment, which the Assembly passed that day. The change adds \"time\" and \"place\" to limits that had previously applied only to gear, methods and quantities.
In coastal villages, conflicts have flared as non-fishers have indiscriminately harvested seafood through a practice known as haerujil (coastal gleaning).
The reform establishes a clear legal basis to prevent safety accidents caused by nighttime haerujil and to regulate indiscriminate gleaning in specific areas, such as village fishing grounds.
By allowing local governments to set ordinances defining when and where haerujil is permitted, the amendment should mark a turning point for protecting fishers' livelihoods and for restoring marine resources. Officials expect it to produce tangible results in fishing communities.
To secure the bill's passage, the federation repeatedly briefed lawmakers and government officials on the damage caused by haerujil and urged stronger regulation.
Noh Dong-jin, chairman of the federation, called the revision a welcome relief for fishers who have suffered from around-the-clock haerujil and expressed deep gratitude to Rep. Lee Won-taek and to officials at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
He added, \"We will do our utmost to strengthen institutional measures and provide field support so that fishers who depend on the sea can work with confidence.\"
