Seafood sales remain steady despite Fukushima water feud

Seafood consumption has continued to be stable despite the release of treated Fukushima radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean two weeks ago, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

A customer shops at the seafood section of a discount store in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Thursday. [NEWS1]

Seafood consumption has continued to be stable despite the release of treated Fukushima radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean two weeks ago, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

“Sales of seafood products at the three major discount store chains [Emart, Homeplus and Lotte Mart] during the first six days after the release began on Aug. 24 was at 103 percent of the figure during the seven-day period prior to the release,” Vice Oceans and Fisheries Minister Park Sung-hoon told reporters during a daily wastewater briefing held Monday.

“Seafood sales at the discount stores between Aug. 24-25 were 68.1 percent greater on year and 46.7 percent higher than sales during Aug. 22-23.”

According to the ministry, sales at 1,000 seafood restaurants during the first three days of the release were 3.8 percent down from the previous three-day period, but sales at 30 raw fish restaurants jumped 13.2 percent during the cited period.

President Yoon Suk Yeol holds up a crab during his visit to Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Thursday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Sales at Noryangjin retail stores in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on the first weekend following the release grew 14.6 percent from the previous weekend. Restaurants at Noryangjin and stores managed by the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives (NFFC) saw sales rise by 21.2 percent and 68.2 percent, respectively.

Credit card expenditures also showed better-than-expected results.

Customers of one of the country’s largest card companies used 48.6 percent more at the Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in the week after the release than they did in the previous week.

The number of customers who bought seafood at the fisheries market was 34.5 percent greater and the number of purchases was 39.7 percent higher.

The amount of by-products produced — an indirect indicator of seafood sales — at the Noryangjin, Garak and Guri fisheries markets was 8.6 percent smaller than last year’s amount but was at 111.9 percent of pre-release levels.

Customers wait in a queue to receive refund vouchers after purchasing seafood products at Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Dongjak District, central Seoul, on Sunday. [NEWS1]

“It is fair to say that consumption has risen after the release because of the increased amount of by-products,” said the vice minister.

But since the data is only spread over a short period, long-term analytics is required to better understand the effects of the release, he added.

The government is planning to boost seafood consumption to that end by hosting a series of sales promotions and festivals at Gangseo Fishery Wholesale Market, Incheon Soraepogu Fish Market, Noryaingjin Fisheries Wholesale Market and Busan Jagalchi Market starting Saturday.

“Various hands-on occasions such as a tasting event, bare-hand fishing game and seafood quiz contest have been prepared in line with discount coupons and vouchers,” Vice Minister Park said.

The fisheries industry is looking to improve consumer sentiment further by using a softer term for the released water.

“The term ‘contaminated’ stirs up distaste against water treated through Advanced Liquide Processing System [ALPS], a scientifically-proven filtration process,” NFFC Chairman Noh Dong-jin said.

“We fishermen will call it ‘treated water’ instead.”

BY KIM KI-HWAN, SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]