Development of Tuna Purse Seine Fishery in Korea and the Countries Concerned

한국(韓國) 및 관련각국((關聯各國)의 다랑어 선망어업(旋網漁業) 발달과정(發達過程)

Korea's first exploratory tuna fishing was done with a used longliner in 1957. Then the commercial fishing has been made steady headway since the 1960's and grown up to one of major tuna fishing countries in 1970's. The tuna fishing aimed primarily at acquiring foreign currency, then tuna was exported directly from the overseas fishing base. Tuna, however, has been gradually favored by Koreans as high-proteined foods according to the growth of GNP since the 1970's. In 1980, the canned tuna began to be produced and sold at home. And so the demand of raw tuna for cannaries has steeply increased not only for home but also for abroad, and stimulated the development of tuna purse seine fishery. The author carried out a study on the development of tuna purse seine fishery in Korea and countries concerned-the United States and Japan-because it is recognized to be significant for the further development of this fishery. Just as purse seining was originated in the United States, so tuna purse seining was also pioneered by Californian fishermen in the west coastal waters of the United States (Eastern Pacific Ocean). They started to produce the canned tuna in the early 1900's, and the demand for raw tuna began to be increased rapidly. In those days, tuna was mostly caught by pole-and-line, but the catch amount was far away from the demand. To satisfy this demand, they began to try out fishing tuna by the use of purse seine which had been born in the eastern waters in the 1820's and applied to catch white fishes in the western waters of the United States in those days. Even though their trial was technically successful through severe trial and error, a new problem was raised on the management of tuna resource and the preservation of porpoise which was occassionally caught with tuna. Then the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) was established by countries neighboring to the United States in 1950 and they set up the Commission's Yellowfin Regulatory Area (CYRA) and regulated the annual quota for yellowfin. Then, American owners tried to send their seiners to the Western African waters to expand the fishing ground in 1967 and to the Centeral-Western Pacfic in 1974, and the fishing ground was widely expanded. The number of the United States' purse seiners amounted to about 150 in 1980, but the enthusiasm was gradually cooled thereafter and the number of seiner was decreased to 67 in 1986. The landing of tuna by purse seiners in the United States after 1980 maintains 200 thousands M/T or so with a little increase despite the decreasing of domestic seiners. This shows that the landing by foreign seiners are increasing, compared with the landing by domestic seiners are decreasing. In Japan, even though purse seining was introduced in 1880, they had fished tuna by longline and pole-and -line until the tuna purse seining was introduced from the United States again. In the 1960's, Japanese tuna seiners made the exploratory fishing in the South-western Pacific and West African waters with a limited success. In 1971, the government-funded research center "JARMRAC" conducted the exploratory fishing which extended to the Central American waters, the Asia-Pacific Region and the South-western Pacific. It had also much difficulties, till they improved the fishing gear adaptable to the new fishing condition in the South-western Pacific. Japanese government has begun to licence 32 single seiners and 7 group seiners since 1980 and their standard has lasted up to now. The catch in the Pacific Islands Region amounted to 160 thousands M/T in 1986. Korea's tuna purse seine fishery was originated in 1971 by Jedong Industrial Co., Ltd. with three used tuna purse seiners purchased from the United States, and they began to fish in the Eastern Pacific, but failed owing to the superannuation of vessel and the infancy of fishing technique. The second challenge was done by Dongwon Industrial Co., Ltd. in 1979, with one used seiner purchased from the United States, and started to fish in the Eastern Pacific. Even though the first trial was almost unsuccessful but they could obtain the noticeable success by removing the vessel to the South-western Pacific in 1980. This success stimulated the Korean entherprisers to take part in this fishery, and the number of Korean tuna purse seiners has been increased rapidly in accordance with the increased demand for raw tuna. The number of vessels actually at work amounted to 36 in 1990 and they operate in the South-western Pacific. The annual catch of tuna by purse seiners amounted to 170 thousands M/T in 1990 and ranked to one of the major tuna purse seining countries in the world.

한국(韓國)의 다랑어 선망어업기술(旋網漁業技術)은 한국(韓國)에서 발달한 대부분의 어업기술(漁業技術)이 일본(日本)을 거쳐서 도입된 것과는 달리 미국(美國)에서 직수입(直輸入)된 것이기는 하나 세부적으로는 일본(日本)의 기술을 응용한 것도 더러 있다. 따라서 한국(韓國)의 다랑어 선망어업(旋網漁業)의 발달과정(發達過程)을 규명하기 위해서는 미국(美國)과 일본(日本)에 있어서의 발달과정(發達過程)을 규명할 필요가 있으므로 여러 가지 문헌(文獻)과 집적된 자료(資料)들에 의하여 그것을 규명해 보았다. 미국(美國)에 있어서의 선망어법(旋網漁法)의 탄생은 1826년의 일이므로 그 역사는 165년이나 되었고, 초기에는 다른 어종과 함께 부산물(副産物)로서 잡아왔지만 1903년부터는 그것을 주목적으로 하는 어업(漁業)이 시작되었으므로 그 역사만 하더라도 90년 쯤 전의 일이다. 그러다가 2차대전(次大戰) 이후에 power block의 발명과 나일론 그물, 그리고 어선(漁船)과 장비(裝備)의 첨단적인 개량으로 오늘날과 같은 대형선망조업(大形旋網조業)이 가능하게 되었다. 그러나 그 후 미국선망어선(美國旋網漁船)들은 돌고래 보호를 위한 규제 때문에 동부태평양(東部太平洋)에서는 조업이 불가능하게 되었고, 또 고임금(高賃金), 노동력부족(勞動力不足) 등으로 채산(採算)을 맞추지 못해 선단수(船團數)는 1980년에 비해 1/3가량 줄어든 상태이다. 일본(日本)은 일찍부터 일본(日本) 북서태평양연안(北西太平洋沿岸)에서 연승(延繩)과 소형선망(小型旋網)으로써 다랑어를 어획(漁獲)하여 왔으며, 2차대전(次大戰)이후 독자적으로 과거의 선망어법(旋網漁法)을 다랑어용으로 개량하는 한편 1948년부터 미국식선망어법(美國式旋網漁法)을 도입하여 해외(海外) 다랑어 어장(漁場) 개발에 많은 노력을 기울였다. 특히 정부출자기관(政府出資機關)인 일본해양자원개발(日本海洋資源開發) 센터 (JAMARC)의 태평양(太平洋) 해역에서의 시험탐사(試驗探査)는 높이 평가할 만 하며, 또한 일본연승어선(日本延繩漁船)들의 활발한 해외조업(海外操業)과 어장정보교환(漁場情報交換)은 선망어업(旋網漁業)의 발전에 많은 도움을 주어 왔다. 미국(美國)과 일본(日本)의 선망선(旋網船)은 어선(漁船)의 크기, 조업형태(操業形態), 운영형식(運營形式) 등이 각기 다르며 장단점이 있다. 특히 일본어선(日本漁船)은 미국어선(美國漁船)에 비하여 선체가 작고 더러는 쌍두리 조업을 하고 있으며, 망지(網地)는 미국어선(美國漁船)이 땋은 실 nylon(braided twine)으로 된 결절망지(結節網地)를 쓰는 데 비하여 무결절망지(無結節網地)를 쓴다. 한국(韓國)은 1970년대(年代)에 미국(美國)으로부터 직접 이 어선(漁法)을 도입하였고, 어선(漁船)과 장비(裝備), 조업방법(操業方法)도 전적으로 미국식(美國式)이다. 한국(韓國)의 선망어법(旋網漁法)은 10년 이상의 실패 끝에 1986년부터 정상 궤도에 오르기 시작했고, 1997년 현재 총 37척이 Gua과 Samoa를 기지(基地)로 하여 모두 남서태평양(南西太平洋)에서 조업하고 있으며 성적도 좋은 편이다. 다만, 이제는 독자적인 연구가 필요하며, 태평양도서국(太平洋島嶼國)에의 입어문제(入漁問題)와 어자원보호(魚資源保護) 측면에서의 연안국(沿岸國)의 조업제제(操業規制) 움직임에 대해서도 대비할 필요가 있는 것으로 판단된다.