Fishermen in Pohang on verge of losing their livelihood due to absurd oil field exploration

Captain Lee Kyung-tae takes out red crabs from the fish hold in his boat, which was anchored at Guryongpo Port in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, on September 20.

“It's a fertile fishing ground, but I'm worried to hear that there's oil because it's like losing a living ground for us."

Lee Kyung-tae (43) said as he organized red crabs in the fish hold of his fishing boat on September 20 in Guryongpo Port in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.

Lee is the captain of the 9.77-ton red crab fishing boat Jecheolho. He bought the vessel as a young man, saving up money from six years of traveling on offshore fishing boats. He makes a living by catching red crabs with his boat.

"The waters off Yeongil Bay in Pohang are the golden fishing grounds where red crabs are caught the most on the east coast,” Lee said. "When drilling begins in earnest, we will lose our livelihood. We are very worried."

The same holds true for Kim Jin-man (62), chairman of the Guryongpo Red Crab Shipowners Association. He has been at odds with the Korea National Oil Corporation, which has been exploring the area for three years.

Last year, he was unable to fish for about three months because the exploration area and the fishing ground overlapped. Losses incurred by failing to catch red crabs alone amount to tens of millions of won. He did not even get back the advance payment of 5 million won, which he had given to the crew in advance at the time of hiring them.

“We still haven't been compensated for the damage caused by the exploration last year. The fishermen's fishing nets have been damaged by the oil exploration company and the damage is worth billions of won," Kim said.

The government's exploration of the East Sea gas field off the coast of Pohang has deepened the anxiety of fishermen in the area. The area where the government expects to find oil and gas is a fertile fishing ground rich in fish resources, such as red crabs.

The government and the Korea National Oil Corporation will conduct exploratory drilling in the candidate waters, which spans the northern part of Block 8 and Block 6-1 in the East Sea from December. Exploratory drilling is to confirm that the geological structures identified through physical surveys are indeed consistent and have the potential to hold resources.

The problem is that the area of exploratory drilling is home to a large population of red crabs. There are 33 red crab boats in Pohang, and most of them catch red crabs in the waters where exploratory drilling is planned. These waters are up to 1,700 meters deep and have the best conditions for the crabs to live.

“Some 80 to 90 percent of the fishing ground overlapped with the exploration zone. "The price of red crabs is set to be the highest between November and February, but we cannot be able to fish them during the period because of the exploration,” Kim said. "If full-scale drilling begins, vibration and noise could ruin the fishing ground. It is no exaggeration to say that we will be on the verge of closing our business if the drilling begins.”

Red crab fishermen in Pohang have been in conflict with a subcontractor hired by the oil company for exploration since 2021. This is because the subcontractor cut the “buoys" that fishermen floated to mark the location of their fish pots for exploration. “It costs 13 million to 15 million won to make a fishing net consisting of 200 fish pots,” Lee said, ”If the buoys are cut, there is no way to find the fish pots. In the last three years, fishermen have suffered billions of won in losses as the company cut buoys.”

In fact, the representative of the exploration company was charged and convicted of ordering the cutting of buoys. Some fishermen were paid 1.7 billion won in settlement.

Last year, 22,801 tons of red crabs were caught off the east coast of North Gyeongsang Province, generating sales of 81.65 billion won.

The damage to other fish species, such as squid, is also a concern. This is because the area is home to a variety of fish species.

“It remains to be seen how the squid population will form this year, but there are various fishing activities in the area,” said an official at the Pohang City Government. ”We have asked the Korea National Oil Corporation to consult with fishermen before exploration.”

The Korea National Oil Corporation believes that there will be little impact on fishing activities as a drilling ship is fixed in the drilling location. An official from the Korea National Oil Corporation said, "We will hold a briefing session for fishermen to explain and listen to the overall drilling project," adding, "We plan to conduct an on-site survey on the fishing gears installed in the drilling area in the future."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.