Abstract
Oysters are the most abundantly harvested type of shellfish in Korea. As export of this marine product increases, oysters have greatly contributed to an increase in fishing income. As the oyster aquaculture industry has rapidly grown since the late 1990s, issues of oyster-shell processing that occur in production processes have re-emerged as important topics in the oyster industry. The amount of oyster shells harvested in 2019 is estimated to be approximately 300,000 tons. With reductions in demand for pyrolytic fertilizer and feed, which are currently the greatest sources of demand, unprocessed shell quantities have doubled compared to 2018, causing them to be an issue once more. Such oyster-shell processing also incurs great costs, and a total of forty-six billion three hundred fifty million Korean won (46,350,000,000 KRW) has been provided from 2009 to 2020 for the use of oyster shells as a resource. According to current Korean laws, oyster shells are considered to be industrial waste if more than 300 kilograms are sent out in a day. Collection and processing must be conducted by a waste-consignment company. Consequently, there are many limitations to the use of oyster shells in Korea as a resource. However, in Japan, only oyster-shell waste is regulated by waste-processing As a result, local governments may apply exceptions when utilized as organic matter. Consequently, in Japan, oyster shells are being used as resources in more diverse fields than in Korea. This study observes the conditions and problems of oyster-shell processing in Korea and attempts to find new domestic oyster-shell resource solutions in light of Japan's recycling practices.
