The South Sea Fisheries Research Institute of NIFS announced that it signed MOU with the Wando County Council in Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do on December 4 (Wed.) to respond to climate change and promote the sustainable development of fisheries industry. 

The MOU is mainly about ▲ Cooperation in responding to climate change and for the effective and realistic development of fisheries industry ▲Research cooperation for fisheries resources, marine environment, aquaculture, aquatic disease, etc. and ▲Cooperation to enhance productivity of species specialized in the high water temperature of the southern coast of Korea, etc. 

Based on the clean seas and abundant seaweed, Wando is well entrenched as a hub of seafood production in Korea, such as producing over seventy percent (70%) of the national production of abalone and thirty percent (30%) of olive flounder. Recently, however, it suffers from economic difficulties caused by increased damages to fisheries industry under climate change including high water temperature.

The research institute has been developing new aquaculture species against high water temperature, such as giant red spotted grouper and hybrid grouper, and conducting research on their field application. Also, it has been putting an effort on the R&D of high-water temperature resistant varieties of main aquaculture species including rockfish, abalone, etc. 

In addition, the institute provides fishermen with the data on water temperature in the southern coast of Korea by operating real-time marine environment monitoring stations. In case of abalone farms in the summer season, especially, it provides the weekly forecast service to provide water temperature data based on numerical model. 

Taking this MOU, both bodies will cooperate closely for the development of fisheries industry by not only strengthening research on public-private partnership - in marine environment monitoring, environment management of aqua farms, development of aquaculture species against climate change, etc. - but also developing policies tailored to local infrastructure.