8 MARCH 2025 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG CHAPTER REPORTS Challenging to Become the World’s No. 1 Oyster Export Country — Oysters as the Next Representative Export Product Following Gim (Laver) The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced the Development Plan for Oyster Aquaculture at the Cabinet Meeting on State Affairs and the Economic Ministers’ Meeting on January 9. The ministry plans to provide new growth engines for the oyster aquaculture industry by creating oyster-only fishing ports and aquaculture complexes and targeting the European market with USD 160 million in individual oysters and processed oyster products by 2030. Oysters are enjoyed by both Eastern and Western cultures, and the global market size will have reached USD 600 million as of 2022. Korea is the world’s third largest oyster exporter, following France (USD 140 million) and China (USD 120 million). The Oyster Aquaculture Industry Development Plan contains three strategies to achieve two goals: increasing oyster production by 100,000 tons by 2030 (300,000 tons in 2023 to 400,000 tons in 2030) and doubling oyster exports by 2030 (USD 80 million in 2023 to USD 160 million in 2030) under the vision of becoming the world’s No. 1 oyster export country. Strategy 1 - Production Facilities and Technological Innovation • Consolidation of the oyster industry from aquacultureonly fishing ports to supporting industrial complexes, including processing plants The ministry will consider building an oyster industry cluster and an aquaculture-specific fishing port for oysters, and integrate the oyster industry from dedicated ports to processing plants and other supporting industrial complexes. The ministry will consider establishing an integrated oyster farming complex and creating dedicated oyster farming ports. The ministry plans to increase the efficiency of the oyster production process by relocating about 400 oyster shucking and processing plants scattered across major oysterproducing areas (Tongyeong and Geoje in Gyeongnam-do and Yeosu in Jeonnam-do Province) into the integrated complex and dedicated oyster farming ports. In addition, facilities necessary for oyster production, such as oyster seed production facilities and processing plants, will be built within the integrated industrial complex. • Establishing an automated and smart oyster production process to promote industry modernization In addition, automation of oyster production sites, which mostly rely on manual labor, will be promoted. Conveyor belts and customized equipment (shellers, washers, automatic sorters, etc.) will be distributed in shared work sites. Work ships that can automatically harvest oysters at sea, perform primary washing, etc., will be distributed to improve the working environment. Strategy 2 - Expansion of Market Base • Promoting domestic oyster consumption by expanding processed oyster products and expanding oyster check-off funds The ministry will support producing and selling new processed oyster foods for food processing companies. The ministry will also promote cooking recipes using oysters to diversify the domestic oyster market, which is mainly consumed as shelled oysters. In addition, the ministry plans to significantly expand the size of the oyster self-help check-off fund, which is currently only KRW 500 million, and strengthen the oyster industry’s consumer promotion function. • Targeting global export markets and expanding influence in existing markets. Targeting USD 160 million in oyster exports by 2030 The ministry will support the entry into the European market, which prefers high-value whole oysters; unlike common oysters, single oysters are sold with their shells intact, which are larger and have higher added value, to diversify export markets. To this end, the ministry will actively support converting general oyster farms to single oyster production farms, increasing the share of single oysters’ production, which is 1% of the total oyster production, to 30% by 2030. In addition, the ministry will expand our influence in export markets such as the United States and Japan, which account for 71% of the total oyster export value. The ministry will support exporters in covering the costs required to obtain international certifications required by importing countries to strengthen their export competitiveness. Strategy 3 - Strengthening Sanitation and Safety Management, etc. The ministry will continue to install facilities to prevent the inflow of pollutants from land and sea, preserving clean oyster waters and producing safe oysters. It will also increase the sewage system coverage rate near oyster production areas and strengthen education on pollutant discharge behaviors for small vessels. In addition, the ministry will process oyster production byproducts through hygienic and environmentally friendly methods by recycling oyster shells as raw materials for steel mills, power plants and construction materials through the oyster shell resource facility completed in November of last year. Minister Kang Do-Hyung said, “Unlike other seafood, oysters are widely consumed in large quantities, so this is an opportunity for Korean companies to enter the global market,” adding, “Through these measures, we will transform the traditional oyster industry into an automated and smart industry to produce high-quality, safe oysters and strengthen our industrial competitiveness so that we can become the world’s number one oyster exporter.” Development and Distribution of the NIFS’s Eco-friendly RAS Model for Rainbow Trout The National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS; President Choi Yong-seok) of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries developed a “popular rainbow trout recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) model” to promote the development of an eco-friendly inland aquaculture industry, and distributed it to the Korea Trout Aquaculture Association on January 9. The breeding environment, including temperature, can be artificially controlled, making it possible to produce cold-water fish Korean Chapter
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