Koreans face rising prices for flounder, rockfish due to shrinking supplies from warmer seas

Koreans are paying more for flounder and rockfish, their favorite fish to eat raw, as warmer seas shrink supplies.

Flatfish such as flounder and rockfish are displayed in a tank at a shop in Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 25. [YONHAP]

Koreans are paying more for flounder and rockfish, their favorite fish to eat raw, as warmer seas shrink supplies.

Rockfish shipments in July fell 17.5 percent from a year earlier and 21 percent from June, according to the Korea Maritime Institute’s fisheries outlook team on Monday. Flounder shipments declined 2.3 percent and 4.4 percent over the same periods. The reduced supply of the two key farmed species pushed prices up.

The average farm price of rockfish last month was 7,000 won ($5) per kilogram (2.2 pounds), between 9.2 and 55.6 percent higher than a year earlier depending on region and weight. Flounder prices were 3.2 to 40 percent higher than a year ago.

The maritime institute expects shipments of rockfish and flounder this month to drop another 11.3 percent and 6 percent year-on-year as sea temperatures remain elevated.

High water temperatures pose a severe threat to aquaculture, as fish face oxygen shortages that increase the risk of mass die-offs.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science said in its 2025 report on the impact of climate change that an extended period of extreme sea temperatures through late September last year caused 143 billion won in aquaculture losses, the largest since statistics began in 2011. Rockfish losses accounted for 58.3 billion won and flounder 9.9 billion won.

Flatfish such as flounder and rockfish are displayed at a shop in Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 25. [YONHAP]

This year’s situation is worse. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries issued its first high-temperature advisory on July 9, about two weeks earlier than last year, when sea temperatures exceeded 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

The first high-temperature warning, triggered when water temperatures stay above 28 degrees Celsius for more than three days, was issued on July 29, two days earlier than the year before.

The first cases of mass fish deaths were reported on July 27, four days earlier than last year. Advisories and warnings are currently in place in more than 15 of the 37 designated monitoring zones.

The Oceans Ministry is encouraging early releases of farmed rockfish and flounder before temperature spikes and is supporting farms in installing liquid oxygen systems.

A ministry official said the government is also pursuing longer-term measures so that farms can respond to climate change.

"We are restructuring the aquaculture system to adapt to climate change by relocating farms in shallow waters vulnerable to heat and supporting a transition to species that can better survive in warmer conditions," the official said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM KYUNG-HEE [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]