World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2021

8 MARCH 2021 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG C H A P T E R R E P O R T S Event Postponements and Cancellations Due to the current pandemic, we have made the difficult decision to postpone the ISFNF 2020 in Busan once again to 12-17 December 2021. This decision has been approved by the Local Organizing Committee and the International Scientific Committee. Everything in the symposiumwill remain the same except for the dates. Submitted abstracts will continue to be processed by the ISFNF Scientific Committee. Registrations and sponsorship contracts will continue to be valid and previously registered participants do not need to do anything else. We thank you for your patience and support during this difficult time and we welcome you once again to attend the ISFNF 2020 BUSAN ( www.isfns2020busan.com) . The 2021Wando International Seaweed Expo (WISE) was postponed for one year to 2022 due to the spread of COVID 19. The new dates are 15 April to 8 May 2022. The Korea Gim (laver) Industry Federation originally planned to hold the 9th GimDay event in Seocheon, Chungcheongnam- do, in February 2020. The event was postponed for one year to February 2021 due to the spread of COVID 19. In January, the Korea Gim Industry Association announced that the event has now been canceled. Gim (Laver) Exports Reached a Record High in 2020 Last year’s seafood exports decreased by about 7.4 percent from 2019, but exports of processed products such as gim (laver) snacks increased. The proportion of processed aquatic foods exports increased as domestic consumption increased due to COVID 19. Despite difficult conditions such as COVID 19, the exports of fishery products was valued at $2.32 billion (about 2.5 trillion won) last year, representing a decrease of 7.4 percent from 2019. Exports of tuna, abalone and flounder were also affected. On the other hand, as COVID-19 increased home consumption, exports of processed products such as seasoned laver (12.9 percent) and fish cake (2.0 percent), preparations such as laver snacks (9.5 percent), and canned foods such as canned tuna (10.2 percent) increased. As a result, the proportion of processed seafood exports increased from about 40 percent in 2019 to about 45 percent in 2020, with most processed products having high added value. The Ministry of Fisheries has implemented a strategy to quickly convert the existing offline-centered support projects (such as tasting events) to online and focus on exporting processed domestic goods. The MOF has implemented a video trade system that connects exporters (403) and foreign importers (792) on a one- to-one basis while enhancing product accessibility for overseas buyers by exhibiting fishery products through the integrated online K-Seafood export platform. This online video trade achieved contracts worth $ 2.45 million. Using the budget secured through the supplementary administration (5.1 billion won), a central Korean seafood section was opened in online stores such as Amazon and Taobao. Home shopping and live broadcast sales were encouraged through influential celebrities (influencers). Export marketing businesses have concentrated on household processed products, such as laver, canned tuna and fish cake, increasing their consumption. As major export target countries such as Japan and China implemented a blockade, exports of aquatic products in the first half of last year fell by more than 13 percent compared to the previous year, increasing the fishery export industry’s difficulties. As marketing policy support took effect, export performance began to rebound in September, steadily increased every month and reached the largest export volume in December, worth about $235 million. Exports have established gim as a global star product. Gim exports were ranked first in 2020, reaching an all-time high of $600 million in exports. In particular, seasoned gim showed high growth, with exports increasing by about 13 percent compared to the previous year. On the other hand, the tricky conditions for fishery exports continues due to the falling exchange rate, the continued spread of COVID 19 and decreased catches in 2021. The MOF expanded the non-face-to-face export support business to recover $2.5 billion in fishery exports. The MOF plans to spur the development and distribution of high-value-added processed seafood products suitable for the world’s tastes, such as creating a seafood cluster and supporting the development of customized seafood. The National Assembly Passes the ‘Gim Industry Promotion and Support Act’ The National Assembly passed the ‘Gim Industry Promotion and Support Act’ in December 2020. The Act systematically fosters gim-related industries, the top export item among seafood products. This lawwas enacted to increase the laver industry’s competitiveness and create sustainable added value. It contained various support mechanisms for nurturing the seaweed industry, such as establishing the basic plan for promoting the seaweed industry, management support such as stabilizing supply and demand and improving facilities and designating a seaweed industry promotion zone. The MOF plans to support the seaweed industry from the production stage to consumption and export based on this legislation. HighWater Temperature Tolerant Abalone The MOF and the Fisheries National Institute of Fisheries Sciences (NIFS) have selected “Development of HighWater Temperature Tolerant Abalone by Convergence of Selective Breeding Technology and Genomic Technology” as one of the “Ten Representative Technologies for Climate Change Response in 2020,” funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MST). MST’s top ten representative technologies for responding to climate were selected by evaluating excellence and socio-economic impact. The NIFS began this study in 2014 to reduce damage to abalone farms caused by high water temperatures in summer due to climate change. Korean Chapter