• We will strive for revitalization of East Sea fishing industry.
• The East Sea is deep and clean with a simple coastline. It is where warm and cold currents cross and full of fisheries resources with higher development opportunities than any other sea of Korea.
• The East Sea, however, has been in a difficult situation due to numerous global risk factors: shrinkage of inshore and offshore fishing grounds, a decrease in fisheries resources, marine ecosystem and environmental changes by climate change and a sharp increase of imported marine products.
• In order to cope with these challenges as well as to enhance the fisheries competitiveness of the sea, the ESFRI puts its research focuses on managing and restoring fisheries resources, developing environmentally-friendly and energy saving fishing technology, drawing up strategies to response to global warming, revitalizing East Sea specialities like Pollack, Todarodes pacificus, evaluating and preserving cetacean resources, utilizing numerous marine resources from deep water and Dok-do, operating field customized Fisheries emergency response team and disease control programs.

• Promoting East Sea fisheries for the happiness of people

• Development of Fisheries Rebuilding·Restoration and management technology
  1. Ecological study and proposal of recommendation on East Sea marine resources recovery
  2. Research for Restoring Giant octopus resources and its stable production
  3. Establishing a highly efficient laborsaving system for major fisheries and Developing bycatch reduction devices to enhance fisheries resources

• Research for Preservation and management of East Sea Marine environment
  1. Establishing marine environment monitoring system to respond to climate change
  2. Providing real-time public notification service of the East Sea marine environment

• Industrializing aquaculture for East Sea endemic species
  1. Recovering pollack industry by completely controlled aquaculture and its industrialization of pollack
  2. Developing artificial seeding production of Squid
  3. Promoting aquaculture technology of strategic species for export like Salmon, Cod.

• Evaluating & Managing cetacean Resources and Developing technology to reduce fishery damages by cetacea

• Fishery resources research on Dokdo & Industrialization of unutilized deep-sea bio-resources

Location and Contact

• Location : 1194, Haean-ro, Yeongok-myeon, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea

Contact US : (82) 33-660-8501

Research fields

East sea Pacific giant octopus restoration research  In the past, Pacific giant octopus was major endemic species in East sea and famous for its good flavor and abundant resources. But due to climate change and overfishing, its reproduction has decreased greatly(‘97 : 5,300t →‘16 : 3,600t). So, for resource restoration of Pacific giant octopus and income increase of East sea fishermen, ESFRI has started a research on ecological study, resource examination and tagging survey of Pacific giant octopus, and is now providing scientific data and professional materials for Government policy making like designation of closed season, poaching prohibition area, spawn protection area of Pacific giant octopus and other endangered East sea aquatic livings.	Pacific giant octopus tagging survey
East sea coast fishing vessel performance improvement research  In East sea, there are about 20 types of coast fishing vessels like gill net ship, net fish trap ship, anchovy boat seine, but due to lack of unified structure and arrangement standard of each types of ship, equipment and fishing gear, fishermen are having difficulty with improving competitiveness of fisheries activities.  So, for the improvement of East sea coast fishing vessel, ESFRI has published 「illustrated book of littoral sea fishing vessel(2018)」, and by drawing up a plan for reformed fishing ship model and propeller, ESFRI is leading the initiative in energy saving(10%) measures in Korean coastal fishery.  From 2018, ESFRI has started on development of fishery resource managemental octopus fish trap and Database of fishing gear and fishing method for reduction of incidental immature fish catch. At the same time, for advancing and reinforcing competitiveness of coastal fishery in Korea, ESFRI has started a research on developing fishery resource managemental fishing trap of Whelk.	Illustrations of Korean fishing vessels(2018) Net fish trap ship and its work mimetic diagram
East sea marine environment monitoring for responding Climate Change  Recently, due to Global warming, Sea water temperature has increased gradually all over the world, and especially, during past 50 years, sea water temperature of East sea has increased 1.43℃ and its increase is larger than the world average(0.47℃) and national average(1.23℃)  Responding to this problem, ESFRI is now constructing a physical, biological and chemical element DB of East sea seawater through regular(6 times a year) oceanographic investigation(8 survey line, 63 investigation point), and above this, ESFRI is developing a real-time marine environment monitoring system based on littoral sea ferry and ocean data measuring sensors installed on East sea coast.  Especially, from 2018, ESFRI has been developing marine environment monitoring system based on littoral sea ferries(domestic 6 courses, international 3 courses) sailing around the Korean Peninsula and establishing a international cooperation basis among Korea, Japan, China and Russia for Marine environment joint investigation.	Surface sea temperature on Korean peninsula coast sea Ocean monitoring system using Korean Peninsula littoral sea sailing ferries.
Monitoring of marine environment and red tide in the East Sea  Marine environmental change, as coastal pollution and climate change, has brought about a dynamic variation of fisheries resource in the East Sea. For sustainable and stable securing of fisheries resource and preservation of marine environment, it is important to establish marine environmental monitoring system which make environmental data due to examination of environment, explanation of damage mechanism and estimation and management of environmental change.  ESFRI has investigated water quality and sediment property in coastal area including fishery and mariculture sites, and operated quasi-real time marine environment monitoring system. Also, red tide monitoring has been carried out periodically.	Annual average of WQI and class of each indices on marine environmental monitoring sites in 2018. Daily average of water temperature with depth in Guryongpo site on June~August, 2018(up) and water temperature and wind(speed, direction) during cold pool on June(down).
Commercial aquaculture R&D of Pollack  Pollack, the most favorite fish in S.Korea, had been one of the biggest earner for East sea fishermen by its abundant resources, but due to climate change and overfishing, Pollack has vanished in East sea and its production amount has decreased to almost‘zero’since 1990s.  On this problem, Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries has worked Pollack revival project with Gangwon Province, Gangneung-Wonju University, and in 2016, ESFRI has successed on world’s first complete controlled culture of Pollack. Now, with other institutes, universities, ESFRI are performing Cage aquaculture test research, aquaculture technology enhancement, private technology transferring for commercial aquaculture of Pollack.	Artificially aquacultured Pollack
Squid(Todarodes pacificus&cuttlefish) recovery Project  In 1990s, Todarodes pacificus had been produced about 250,000t, but during past 20 years, its catch has decreased sharply to about 120,000t(▼50%), and due to its price spike, East sea fishing industry and fishermen have suffered severe economic pain like sharp income decline, business cessation.  To this problem, ESFRI has started on developing artificial aquaculture technology of Squid(Todarodes pacificus and cuttlefish) and research on artificial seed mass production, mature entity spawning, paralarvae breeding and initial food development test, resource management measure study with spawning area examination and catch analysis.	Todarodes pacificus Cuttlefish
Cod aquaculture technology development  Production of Cod has droped sharply due to overfishing since 1960s, and its recovery project has progressed centrally by few local government and mostly focused on mass discharge of little seed fish. This effort has achieved some success and contributed on meaningful recovery of Cod, but as too little(about 1cm below), immature seed fish has been discharged, this recovery projects had obvious limits and its catch had rather diminished recently.  To this problem, with private aquaculure company, ESFRI are doing research on indoor and cage breeding test for stabilization of Cod Seed production and improvement of Cod larvae survival rate.	Cod(up) and Yearly production(down)
East sea Fisheries emergency response team and Aquatic animal disease control program operation  There are about 596 fish farms in East sea area(Gangwon province, Gyoungsang province, etc) coast and inland waters, and in East sea area, aquaculturists are raising about 1,160t of marine creatures like salmon, scallop. But on average, due to several aquatic disasters like infectious diseases, anormal sea water temperature, red tide, East area have been suffering severe mass stranding and economic damages of fishing industry from year to year.  To this problem, ESFRI are operating East Sea fisheries emergency response team for expedite onsite support of damaged fisherman and pain points listening of fisherman’s difficulties. In addition to that, ESFRI are now running Aquatic animal disease control program like disease diagnosis, disease spread monitoring, workers field education through out the year, for prevention of aquatic animal disease occurrence and its proliferation	Onsite support for hight water tempera mass stranding(up), Aquatic diseases forecasting and diagnosis(down)
Fishery resources research on Dokdo & Industrialization of unutilized deep-sea bioresources  ESFRI Dokdo Fisheries Research Center is responsible for sustainable use of fishery resources and national sovereignty of genetic resources in waters surrounding Dokdo by conducting fishery surveys, monitoring ecosystem changes, etc.  For this, Dokdo Fisheries Research Center is working on fishery resources and marine aquatic ecosystem indicator species monitoring by underwater acoustic survey, ecological research and institutional support of TAC(Total Allowable Catch) for management of Southern East sea fishery resources, and with that, responding to the reduction of Squid resources, Dokdo Fisheries Research Center is working on development of utilization plan for unutilized marine biological resources like Berryteuthis magister by deep sea resource catch survey, sea food development(ex : fish cake)	Dokdo aquatic ecosystem Eastsea deep sea marine resources survey
Public research result sharing and local community contribution  As a national research institute, for realization of social responsibility and education of future young marine scientists, ESFRI is now running various PR program like youth career education, fisheries science public exhibitions, low income student after-school care program, local residents invitation events, New media(UCC, SNS) promotion contents sharing, in connection with ESFRI’s main R&D project like ‘Commercial aquaculture of Pollack’, ‘Todarodes pacificus recovery Project’, ‘East sea climate change monitoring’.	Middle school science school with squid dissection experiment Pyeongchan Winter Olympic Fishery science exhibition(2018)