A high water temperature alert has been issued around the Jeju seas. Flounder are highly susceptible to the phenomenon. More than 250,000 flounder have been killed this month.

Joseph Kim reports.



Report

[slug] Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo City

This is a flounder aqua farm in (대정읍) Daejeong-eup, Seogwipo City.

The tank is supposed to be filled with fish, but it’s empty.

After seawater reaching temperatures higher than 28 degrees celsius was tapped in, about 3,000 of the animals were killed in a matter of a few hours.

[slug] Warm water kills 100,000 flounder at one aqua farm

Only at this aqua farm, more than 100,000 fish perished over the last 10 days.

Recording
Go Seong-guk / Aqua farm owner
40 to 50 tanks out of 120 are now empty. I hope the temperature of the water drops soon. It’s a big concern.
<씽크:고성국/양식장 운영>
"120개 수조에서 거의 40~50개가 비어 있습니다. 앞으로 빨리 저수온이 와서 폐사가 그만돼야 할텐데 큰 걱정입니다."

[slug] Fish move slower, have compromised immunity

As surviving fish have been exposed to warm water for extended periods, they move slowly and their immune system is impaired.

The seawater temperature has recently risen to between 28 and 30 degrees celsius.

The province issued the high water temperature alert on August 6th.

The seawater temperature has exceeded the optimal temperature for flounder, 25 degrees.

About 20,000 fish died suddenly.

10 aqua farms have been affected by the phenomenon.

[slug] 250,000+ flounder killed

More than 250,000 flounder have been lost this month across the island.

The province and municipal governments are monitoring and surveilling local aqua farms everyday.

[slug] Temperature changes mean high chance of more deaths

The sea water temperature dropped to around 25 degrees very recently, but still there is a high chance of additional losses because of the drastic temperature change.

INTERVIEW
Bu Jong-hae / Representative, Seogwipo City
Much like humans can catch colds when there is a sudden temperature change of 5 or 6 degrees, flounder can also suffer. Their immune system becomes impaired and they are vulnerable to disease.
<인터뷰:부종해/서귀포시 해양 수산 담당>
"사람도 기온이 5,6도 변하면 감기에 걸리듯이 넙치도 상당한 스트레스를 받습니다. 면역력이 저하돼서 작은 병에도 취약하기 때문에 폐사가 많아지고 있습니다."

[Reporter] Joseph Kim
[Camera] Moon Ho-seong

The province urges aqua farm owners to report the death of their fish to complement its monitoring efforts.

Joseph Kim, KCTV