Global Warming Threatens Oyster Farms in Yeosu

The decreased production has now led to higher consumer prices and a drop in sales. The local industry is at threat.

According to The Hankyoreh, damages to brown seaweed and oyster farming along the southern coast of the peninsula are increasing as global warming has led to increased seawater temperatures.

South Jeolla Province announced Tuesday that because of high seawater temperatures off the coast for the last three months, around half of the brown seaweed used to feed abalone in the waters off of Wando and the hanging culture oysters in the waters off of Yeosu have died off, while the rest are suffering damages from retarded development.

The Hankyoreh reported that September and October temperatures along the coast of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, in the center of the southern coast, were over one degree Celsius higher than the measured average value for 1971 to 2005. In September, they were 25.57 degrees, 1.28 degrees higher than the previous years 24.29 degrees, while in October they were discovered to have risen to 21.93 degrees, 1.06 degrees higher than last years 20.87 degrees.