Warming seas slash Ulleung's squid catch by 99% in 25 years
The squid catch around Ulleung Island has plummeted amid rising sea temperatures caused by climate change, highlighting how warming waters are reshaping Korea’s marine ecosystem and the coastal communities that depend on it. According to Ulleung County on Sunday, the local catch fell from 11,315 tons in 2000 to 1,852 tons in 2015 and 1,172 tons in 2020, before plunging to 141 tons in 2025. The…
The once-thriving squid industry around Ulleung Island, located in North Gyeongsang Province, has been devastated by a 99% drop in catch over the past 25 years, according to Ulleung County. The decline is directly linked to rising sea temperatures caused by climate change. In 2000, the local catch reached 11,315 tons, but by 2025, it had plummeted to just 141 tons - a mere 1.2% of the initial figure.
As of September 2025, only 54 tons of squid had been caught from January to September. This dramatic reduction in squid numbers is attributed to the reorganization of the marine ecosystem due to increasing sea surface temperatures. The National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) suggests that squid, which traditionally thrived off Korea's coast, have shifted their habitat northward towards Russia and other areas as their primary coastal and offshore habitat in the southern East Sea has warmed.
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- Warming seas slash Ulleung's squid catch by 99% in 25 years koreatimes.co.kr
