A study on the sustainability of recreational fishing in South Korea

Increases in national income and the implementation of a five-day work week in South Korea have given Koreans more time and money to go fishing. As a popular leisure activity, recreational fishing plays an important role in both psychologically for anglers and economically for communities. However, the inland and ocean waters in South Korea are also faced with negative effects such as resource degradation and environmental pollution due to recreational fishing. The lack of resource management and oversight combined with environmental issues threaten the sustainability of recreational fishing. This study examined the environmental and social threats of recreational fishing in South Korea, as well as the overview of other countries' coping measures with the issue of sustainability in recreational fishing. By referring other countries' countermeasures, two methods for recreation fishing management in South Korea were put forward. One is environmental and natural resource management, which means to conservate the natural resources in fishing areas by keeping a balance of environmental protection and the sustainable use of resources. In addition, integrated local community-based planning for a long-term perspective should also be considered for cultural friendship. The other is implementing a fishing license system to provide both funding and a framework to manage anglers and improve fisheries, especially those located inland. However, in order to implement such a system, a national consensus among recreational anglers is needed for the system to be truly functional.