The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced on April 18th that it will lift a restriction on fishing activities which have been suspended since the Hebei Spirit oil spill incident in Taean. However, fishing operations will resume on species which are identified to be safe. 

This announcement came after the Ministry determined fisheries products such as fish stocks, crabs, and small octopus are safe for human consumption. This is based on recent monitoring and research on fish and fishery products from the coastal areas in Taean region conducted by the Korea Food and Drug Administration, the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, the National Fisheries Products Quality Inspection Service, and the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute.

However, since shellfish still have excessive levels of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), the Ministry will continue to impose the fishing ban on shellfish until safe levels can secured. In addition, the Ministry plans to request fishers to refrain from fishing operations in neighboring areas where preventative measures are underway.        

This resumption of fishing activities is subject only to fishing vessels, but the Ministry plans to remove fishing restrictions on village fishing grounds once repeated monitoring has ensured the safety of these fisheries products.

An official with the Ministry added that fisheries products harvested in areas where the fishing ban has been lifted will be placed in the market only after a visual inspection is conducted at designated consignment markets in order to ensure they do not smell of or are spotted with oil.