World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2021 9 The technology, which combines selective breeding technology and genomic technology, evaluates the heritability of survival rate after exposure to high water temperature in the Hanhae-Seong abalone cultivar and continues after selecting the seedlings using genetic markers for high water temperature tolerance. Using and applying high water temperature tolerance indicates that it is possible to respond to climate change. Early selection of tolerant individuals improves the accuracy of the choice of excellent seedlings and reduces the grow-out period from 36 to 26 months. The abalone resistant to high water temperature also had greater survival rate (by about 60 percent). The project has succeeded in branding the so-called “fast-growing (King) abalone.” The NIFS plans to supply abalone farms with this technology after confirming the potential for industrialization through on-site testing of high water temperature resistant Korean abalone this year. The NIFS will continue to pursue research on the development of excellent varieties of aquaculture organisms that can respond flexibly. Automatic Abalone Culture Tank Cleaner The Institute of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (IMAF) of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has developed an automatic cleaner for washing abalone culture tank facilities to reduce staffing needs at abalone culture facilities. Generally, one or two elderly peoples operate an abalone farm in a small-scale facility and tank cleaning is very labor-intensive. In 2017, the IMAF signed a joint research agreement with GJ Engineering. Two prototype semi- automatic vacuum cleaning systems were developed for diatom culture and abalone rearing. The IMAF focused on applying parts (materials) to facilitate equipment maintenance and concentrated on simplifying safe operation. Less than two minutes are required to clean a tank that is 1.3 mwide by 8 m long. It is easy to replace cleaning nozzles for specific purposes (diatom or rearing tank cleaning) and it is easy to adjust the height of the cleaning nozzle according to the depth of the tank. When distributed to aquaculture facilities, productivity is expected to increase by reducing labor intensity and improving grow-out management efficiency. Top Ten Outstanding Achievements of NIFS in 2020 The NIFS selected the top ten outstanding research achievements contributing to developing fisheries science and technology and solving problems in the field during 2020. The NIFS awarded “trait improvement of flounder using genetic scissors technology” as the best achievement. The followings are the list of ten achievements: 1. Succeeded in improving the characteristics of flounder using genetic scissors (CRISPR-Cas9) technology. 2. Development of an on-site diagnostic kit for viral hemorrhagic sepsis. 3. Development of a jellyfish monitoring technique using a mobile phone application. 4. Determination of cod spawning migration by a biologging technique. 5. Development of low-salt, biofloc-based, inland shrimp farming technology. 6. Finding the water depth of the habitat of eggs and fry through fisheries resources survey. 7. Development and industrialization of oyster-based convenience food using technology to remove the fishy smell. 8. Development of new rawmaterials for high-quality biodegradable nets. 9. Establishment of ‘Smart Fish Doctor,’ a non-face-to-face aquatic product disease information sharing platform. 10. Reduction of damage in abalone farming through technical support at non-face-to-face fisheries sites. Marine Spatial Planning Information System The Korea Fisheries Resources Agency has provided spatial information on licensed fishing grounds (village joint fishing grounds, aquaculture fishing grounds, political fishing grounds) operated and managed by 63 coastal local governments nationwide. The project supported discussions on the suitability of the licensed aquaculture development plan by the ‘Marine Space Planning and Management Act’ that went into effect in April 2020. The project for 14,800 fishing grounds nationwide includes: information collection and verification, database construction, support for local governments’ Saeol administration system and creating a comprehensive fishing ground management map. Establishing the licensed fishery database has increased the utility of public information by updating the existing database by verifying fishery location information and correcting errors and by adding missing fishery information by region. The project expanded the spatial information area based on marine GIS so that it can play a greater role in marine spatial planning and aquaculture industry policy. Damage from Floating Sargassum from China More than 7,000 t of floating Sargassum horneri (kwaengsangi-mojaban in Korean) fromChina have flowed into the sea near Jeollanam-do province. By moving in the form of a large- scale floating belt, S. horneri harms the coastal landscape. It causes secondary damage such as ship accidents, damage to aquaculture facilities and the death of aquaculture organisms. This year, the frequent northwest winds and Arctic cold fronts brought about 7,000 t of S. horneri fromChina to the coastlines of Sinan, Jindo and Haenam in Korea. Accordingly, Governor Mr. Young-Rok Kim ordered emergency collection and monitoring to minimize damage to farms. Jeollanam-do has mobilized port clearing ships and fishing port management ships operated by the Marine Environment Corporation Korean Village Fisheries Aviation Group to collect S. horneri . City and county officials and residents collected S. horneri that accumulated on shorelines. Above all, it is putting all efforts into securing a budget for rapid resolution by providing 500 million won in reserve funding to Shinan-gun, which had difficulty in collection and disposal from the influx of S. horneri . The goal of collection and disposal of the Sargassum is intended to minimize damage to the marine environment and aquaculture facilities. — Ik Kyo Chung, President C H A P T E R R E P O R T S