South Korea Fights Climate Change

The Empty Net: South Korea’s Fishermen in a Battle Against a Warming Sea

The devastating call reached Hong Suk-hui while he was on the coast of South Korea’s Jeju Island. The fishing vessel he owned, a source of his livelihood, had completely overturned in the turbulent waters. Only two days before, the craft embarked on a journey that he trusted would be both extended and successful. However, as fierce gales gathered strength, the captain received an order to return. On its way back to the safety of the port, a uniquely powerful swell, which converged from opposing sides, created a deadly vortex that flipped the boat entirely. This sudden catastrophe trapped five men from a crew of ten individuals, who were resting in their quarters below the main deck, leading to their tragic drowning. The incident was a stark reminder of the escalating dangers that now define a fisherman’s life in the region.

A Grieving Father’s Unspeakable Loss

The news struck Hong Suk-hui with the force of a physical blow. The sudden loss of his vessel and the lives of five crewmen felt, in his words, as if the sky itself was falling. This single, tragic event encapsulates a growing crisis plaguing the waters near the Korean peninsula. Families are left shattered and communities are gripped by a pervasive fear. For Mr Hong, the incident was not just a personal and financial disaster; it was a confirmation of a terrifying new reality. The sea, once a provider, is increasingly becoming a threat. His experience is a sombre testament to the human cost of these maritime accidents, a cost that is being paid by fishing families all along South Korea’s extensive coastlines.

An Alarming Surge in Maritime Fatalities

The previous year saw a shocking spike in maritime accidents, with 164 individuals either killed or declared missing in waters near South Korea. This figure represents a staggering 75% increase from the preceding year, sounding alarm bells across the nation. A vast majority of these victims were seafarers on boats that sank or overturned, often in violently unpredictable weather. The numbers paint a grim picture of a profession becoming exponentially more hazardous. This dramatic rise in fatalities prompted urgent calls for action and a deeper examination of the underlying causes, pushing the issue into the national spotlight and forcing authorities to confront the escalating crisis head-on. The statistics are not just numbers; they represent lives lost and a traditional way of life under severe threat.

Fishermen Point to a Changing Climate

From the docks and harbours, a consensus is forming among those who know the sea best. Mr Hong, who also leads the Jeju Fishing Boat Owners Association, remarked that the climate has altered, becoming stormier with each passing year. He speaks for many in his community who observe the altered temperament of the ocean firsthand. He described how powerful whirlpools now appear with startling suddenness, a phenomenon unheard of in previous generations. For these seasoned mariners, the explanation is clear. The fishing community is now thoroughly convinced that these dangerous and erratic weather patterns are a direct consequence of alterations in the climate, a force that is reshaping their world and their ability to safely sustain their livelihoods from the sea.

Government Launches Urgent Investigation

Troubled by the sharp and sustained increase in deaths at sea, the government in South Korea initiated a comprehensive official inquiry to examine the surge of accidents. The rising death toll could no longer be dismissed as a statistical anomaly. A dedicated taskforce was assembled, bringing together experts from various fields to dissect the complex factors contributing to the tragedies. The investigation’s mandate was broad: to explore everything from meteorological data and vessel safety standards to the socio-economic pressures driving fishermen into harm’s way. This official inquiry marked a crucial step in acknowledging the severity of the crisis and began a national search for effective solutions to protect the lives of the country’s fishing workforce.

Climate Change Identified as a Key Culprit

This year, the individual leading the government’s special committee delivered a sobering conclusion, pinpointing a changing climate as a principal reason for the sharp rise in accidents. The investigation confirmed what many fishermen had suspected for years. However, the report also highlighted a convergence of other critical problems that compound the danger. It drew attention to the country’s ageing fishing workforce, where physical resilience is waning. The taskforce also noted a growing dependency on laborers from other nations, who often arrive with little experience of the local sea conditions. Furthermore, the investigation exposed significant shortcomings in safety instruction and protocols, creating a perfect storm of risk that leaves crews exceptionally vulnerable.

Korea’s Seas Warming at Double the Global Rate

Scientific data provides a stark backdrop to the anecdotal evidence from fishermen. The marine areas surrounding Korea are heating up at a much faster rate than the worldwide standard. This accelerated warming is partly due to the region's relatively shallow waters, which absorb heat more quickly. The nation's seas experienced an average surface temperature increase of 1.58C during the period from 1968 to 2024. This figure is dramatically higher, more than twice the worldwide elevation of 0.74C over a similar period. This rapid and localised temperature rise is a critical factor, fundamentally altering the marine environment and setting the stage for more volatile and dangerous conditions for anyone who makes their living on the water.

Extreme Weather Fuelled by Warmer Waters

The consequences of these rising water temperatures are becoming increasingly apparent and destructive. Higher sea surface temperatures provide more energy for weather systems, which fosters the development of tropical cyclones, such as typhoons, that can grow in intensity and behave more erratically. This escalation in extreme weather directly translates to greater risk at sea. Storms that were once predictable and manageable now have the potential to develop with frightening speed and ferocity, catching even the most experienced crews off guard. The warming sea is, in effect, loading the dice, making every voyage a more dangerous gamble and contributing directly to the rising number of capsized boats and lost lives.

The Great Fish Migration Northward

The changing climate is not only making the seas stormier; it is also fundamentally altering the marine ecosystem. A finding from South Korea's National Institute of Fisheries Science shows that elevated water temperatures are causing entire fish populations to migrate. Species that once thrived within waters close to South Korea are shifting northwards in search of cooler, more hospitable environments. This migration forces seafarers to make a difficult choice: abandon their traditional catch or pursue it into more distant and often more dangerous waters. This necessity to travel farther increases fuel costs, extends the time spent at sea, and compels crews to embrace more substantial risks to secure a catch large enough to support themselves financially.

Environmental Groups Demand Immediate Action

In response to the escalating crisis, environmental campaigners are issuing urgent calls for decisive action. Organisations such as the Environmental Justice Foundation, which is based in the UK, are highlighting the interconnected nature of the problem, linking climate change, overfishing, and human rights abuses. They argue that the tragedies unfolding in the waters around Korea are a direct result of systemic failures that require a comprehensive response. These groups are demanding that the government implement stronger regulations, improve vessel safety, and provide better protection for all workers, especially vulnerable migrant crews. They insist that immediate measures are necessary to halt the unfolding tragedy and ensure a sustainable and safe future for the industry.

An Anxious Wait at Jeju’s Bustling Harbour

One damp June morning, the principal harbor on Jeju Island presented a scene of organised chaos. The docks were filled with fishing vessels, their sailors moving quickly between the shore and their boats. They were busy replenishing fuel and gathering supplies for their upcoming trips out into the unpredictable waters. Meanwhile, the owners of the vessels paced nervously along the pier, observing the last-minute work. The atmosphere was thick with a mixture of hope and apprehension. Each departure is now tinged with a heightened sense of risk, a palpable anxiety that has become a constant companion for this tight-knit community living on the edge of a changing ocean.

The Perilous Hunt for the Silver Hairtail

For Kim Seung-hwan, a 54-year-old boat proprietor, this anxiety is a daily reality. He stated his constant fear of a potential incident involving his ship, acknowledging that the hazards have grown significantly. The winds, he explained, are now more erratic and exceptionally perilous, transforming a familiar environment into something hostile. A number of years ago, Mr Kim started observing a worrying trend: the sought-after hairtail, a silvery fish that formed the backbone of his earnings, were vanishing from the nearby sea. This abrupt decline caused his income to drop by fifty percent, forcing him and his crews to confront a perilous new economic and environmental landscape where survival is no longer guaranteed.

Deeper Waters, Unpredictable Storms

The disappearance of the hairtail fish has forced Mr Kim’s crews to radically change their operations. His teams now must travel into deeper and more treacherous ocean territories to locate these fish, with some voyages extending southward to the waters near Taiwan. This dramatically increases both the duration and the danger of each trip. He mentioned that because they are working at a greater distance, a swift return is not always feasible when a tempest warning is issued. He added that remaining closer to the coast would be more secure, but to secure an income, they must travel much farther out into the vast, unforgiving expanse of the open sea.

Official Reports Confirm Increased Dangers

Professor Gug Seung-gi headed the inquiry examining the recent maritime accidents, which concluded that the seas around South Korea seem to have become more hazardous. The findings of his report were unequivocal. The report highlighted that marine weather alerts in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula—which warn mariners about strong winds, tidal surges, and typhoons—rose by sixty-five percent from 2020 to 2024. This statistic provides concrete evidence of the escalating dangers. In an interview with the BBC, Professor Gug stated that erratic weather patterns are causing more boats to capsize, a problem especially acute for smaller fishing crafts which are traveling longer distances and are not constructed for such extended, turbulent excursions.

The Science Behind Sudden, Fierce Winds

While the trend of more extreme weather seems clear, the scientific community remains cautious. Professor Kim Baek-min, who is a climate scientist at Pukyong National University in South Korea, commented that while a shifting climate was fostering the conditions for powerful, abrupt wind bursts to happen more frequently, a definitive pattern has not been confirmed. To establish one, he stated, further study and long-range information are essential. The current evidence is highly suggestive, but the precise mechanics and the full extent of the link between global warming and these specific maritime hazards are still the subject of ongoing scientific inquiry.

A Foggy Morning and a Disappointing Haul

Before dawn on a morning filled with fog, a compact trawler departed from the shore with Captain Park Hyung-il at the helm. He has been harvesting anchovies off the southern coast of Korea for over a quarter of a century. He sang traditional sea songs, intent on maintaining a positive spirit. But as they got to the nets he’d put out the night before, his cheerful demeanor vanished. As he began to wind them in, a disheartening sight emerged from the depths. The nets were teeming not with the silver flash of anchovies, but with masses of jellyfish and various other useless marine life. The intended catch was barely visible amidst the gelatinous mass.

More Jellyfish Than Anchovies in the Nets

After the painstaking process of separating the valuable fish from the unwanted marine life, the result was deeply discouraging. The entire haul of anchovies amounted to only two containers. He said that previously, they would collect as many as 100 of these baskets on any given day. But in the current year, he continued, the anchovies are gone, and they are now netting a higher volume of jellyfish than fish. This is not just a single bad day; it is the new, grim reality that thousands of seafarers along South Korea's shores are dealing with. The changing composition of their catch signals a profound and troubling shift in the marine ecosystem, one that threatens their very existence.

A Coastline’s Dwindling Bounty

The decline in Captain Park's anchovy catch is part of a much larger, alarming trend. Over the last ten years, the yearly volume of squid harvested within the waters of South Korea has fallen by a dramatic 92 percent, while the anchovy haul has decreased by 46 percent. These are not gradual declines; they are a collapse. Moreover, the anchovies that Park did manage to catch were unsuitable for sale at the market. He explained that they would have to be offered as feed for animals. The once-abundant seas that supported generations of fishing families are becoming barren, leaving a legacy of economic hardship and uncertainty for all who depend on them.

When the Catch Cannot Cover the Costs

The financial implications of such a meagre haul are severe. Captain Park sighed, lamenting that the entire catch was essentially without value. He elaborated that it would hardly pay for the fuel used that day, let alone provide wages for his crew. This predicament is now commonplace. Fishermen are investing more time, effort, and resources for a fraction of their former returns. The economic equation of their profession is broken. This daily struggle to simply break even is grinding down the resilience of coastal communities and pushing many to the brink of financial ruin, questioning the viability of their entire way of life.

The Fading Pride of a Lifelong Fisherman

For Captain Park, the struggle is more than just financial. Park went on to say that the ocean is in a state of disarray and nothing is predictable anymore. He used to cherish this line of work, finding fulfillment in knowing that people across the nation were enjoying the fish he provided. Now, with almost nothing left to catch, that feeling of accomplishment is fading away. The romance and reward of a life at sea have been replaced by a relentless and exhausting battle against a changing environment, leaving him and many others feeling defeated and demoralised.

An Ageing Fleet and a Reluctant Generation

The industry’s decline is having a profound demographic impact. With incomes dwindling and the risks mounting, younger generations are showing no interest in entering the field. The profession is no longer seen as a viable or attractive career path. As a result, the workforce is rapidly ageing. In 2023, nearly fifty percent of all fishermen in South Korea were older than 65, an increase from under a third just ten years prior. The greying of the fleet presents its own set of challenges, as older captains and crews are often less equipped to handle the physically demanding and increasingly hazardous conditions they face on the water.

The Reliance on Untrained Migrant Labour

To fill the labour gap left by the departing younger generation, elderly captains frequently need to seek assistance from migrant laborers from places like Indonesia and Vietnam. While these workers are essential for keeping the industry afloat, their integration presents significant challenges. These workers often lack proper safety instruction, and linguistic differences prevent effective communication with the ship's captains, which only magnifies the existing dangers. These factors create an additional layer of danger, placing already vulnerable workers at an even greater risk of accidents and exploitation.

A Tragic Cycle of Risk and Desperation

Woojin Chung, who is South Korea's primary liaison for the Environmental Justice Foundation, called the situation "a cruel and sad downward spiral." She explained that when you factor in increasingly severe weather alongside the need to travel longer distances, the associated rise in fuel expenses, and the necessity to hire inexpensive, untrained foreign help, your likelihood of encountering a catastrophe is much greater. It is a downward spiral where economic desperation and environmental change feed into each other, with deadly consequences for the people at the sharp end.

The Unexplained Sinking Near Yeosu

The dangers of this new era were starkly illustrated on February 9 of the current year. A big shipping trawler went down without warning near the port of Yeosu, resulting in ten deaths among the crew. It was a frigid and blustery day, and while smaller crafts were forbidden from leaving the harbor, this particular trawler was thought to be robust enough to handle the strong winds. Why it sank remains a mystery, a chilling reminder that even the most robust vessels are not immune to the sea's unpredictable power. The incident sent a shockwave through the fishing community, deepening the sense of vulnerability and fear.

A Final Voyage Before a Planned Retirement

Young-mook, aged 63, was among those killed. After four decades as a fisherman, he was preparing for retirement. However, a call that morning requested he fill a last-minute vacancy aboard the vessel. He agreed, a decision that would cost him his life. Ean, his daughter, who is still devastated by his passing, noted the extreme cold of the water, making survival after falling in impossible due to hypothermia, particularly for someone of his age. His story is a heartbreaking example of the human toll of the industry's deepening crisis.

A Daughter Questions Corporate Responsibility

Ean believes that boat proprietors can too easily attribute accidents to a changing climate. She feels that even when difficult weather is a factor, the proprietors still have a duty to evaluate the hazards and ensure their crew's safety. She asserted that the decision of when to set sail is ultimately theirs. From her perspective, the relentless pressure to meet quotas and maintain profits is pushing crews into unacceptable danger. She feels that corporate accountability is being lost in the broader conversation about environmental change, and that the human element of decision-making must not be overlooked.

Depleted Stocks and Mounting Pressure

Ean recalls a childhood when her father's refrigerator always contained crabs and squid. She said that the fish populations are now depleted, yet the companies persist in sending the men out. Since these individuals have spent their entire lives as fishermen, they lack other employment opportunities and continue working even when they are physically too weak for the job. The depletion of fish stocks has created a desperate situation where fishermen feel they have no choice but to take ever-greater risks for diminishing returns.

A Call for Better Maintenance and Accountability

In addition, Ean wants proprietors to perform better upkeep on their vessels, which are also becoming old. Many boats in the fleet are old and may not be structurally sound enough for the increasingly rough conditions. She pointed out that companies possess insurance and receive compensation when a ship goes down, but a family's loved ones are irreplaceable. Her words are a powerful call for a shift in priorities, from financial compensation to the fundamental preservation of human life. She demands greater accountability from the companies that profit from the labour of these men.

Authorities Focus on Vessel Safety Upgrades

The government, understanding its inability to manage atmospheric conditions, is now collaborating with seafarers to enhance the safety of their vessels. While visiting Mr Hong, whose own vessel had recently overturned, a government inspection team arrived to conduct immediate checks on two more of his ships. This hands-on approach represents a shift towards proactive safety management. The government is attempting to mitigate the risks by ensuring that the vessels are as well-equipped as possible to handle the new dangers they face, a tangible response to the rising tide of accidents.

Mandatory Training and Improved Rescue Operations

The government’s special committee is now suggesting that vessels must have safety ladders, that fishermen are required to use personal flotation devices, and that safety instruction is compulsory for every foreign crew member. The aim is also to enhance search and rescue capabilities and provide fishermen with more specific, real-time weather information, allowing them to make better-informed decisions before and during their voyages. This raft of recommendations targets the most critical safety failings identified in the investigation.

Innovative Solutions for a Troubled Industry

Beyond safety regulations, certain areas are trialling more innovative solutions to address the industry's multifaceted problems. In an effort to improve the health of the seas and provide an alternative income stream, some local governments are proposing to offer payment to fishermen for any jellyfish they bring ashore. For squid fishermen, who have been hit particularly hard, financial loans are being made available to help prevent them from going bankrupt and to motivate older workers to leave the industry. These programmes represent creative attempts to adapt to the new environmental and economic realities, offering a glimmer of hope in a struggling sector.

A Bleak Forecast for Future Fish Stocks

Despite these efforts, the long-term outlook remains deeply concerning. A projection from the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation indicates South Korea's total fish harvest is set to shrink by almost one-third before this century concludes, should global temperature increases and carbon emissions proceed along their current paths. This scientific projection suggests that the problems currently plaguing the industry are likely to worsen significantly. The decline in fish stocks is not a temporary fluctuation but a sustained trend driven by global environmental changes. This bleak forecast presents a monumental challenge for the future of fishing in the region, threatening to make the profession entirely unsustainable.

A Third-Generation Fisherman’s Digital Pivot

Faced with this daunting future, some fishermen are looking for new ways to survive. Captain Park, who fishes for anchovies and is currently in his late 40s, has launched a YouTube channel. He records his hauls with the goal of generating additional income and raising awareness about the plight of his industry. His digital venture is a modern response to an ancient problem. Park's family has been in this profession for three generations, a tradition that he believes will end with him. His children will not follow in his footsteps; the risks are too high and the rewards too low.

The Lost Romance of a Life at Sea

Captain Park reflects on a bygone era with a sense of nostalgia. In the old days, waking before dawn and venturing out onto the water felt romantic. The work carried a spirit of adventure and fulfillment. Each voyage held the promise of a bountiful catch and the satisfaction of providing for his family and his country. That feeling has been eroded by years of hardship and declining fortunes. The romance has been stripped away, replaced by a grim and relentless struggle for survival against forces far beyond his control. The joy has gone out of the job he once loved.

The End of a Family’s Seafaring Legacy

The daily reality for fishermen like Captain Park is now one of extreme difficulty. "These days, it is just profoundly difficult," he stated with weary resignation. His YouTube channel is not just a side project; it is a potential lifeline in an industry that feels like it is sinking. His story is a microcosm of the broader crisis. Generations of knowledge, tradition, and identity are being lost as families turn away from the sea. The conclusion of his family's seafaring legacy is a quiet but profound casualty of a changing planet, a cultural loss that accompanies the economic and human toll of this unfolding tragedy.