South Korea and Japan agreed to reduce the fish catch for next year in each other's exclusive economic zones (EEZs) by 3,000 tons compared with this year, the government said Sunday.
At the ninth bilateral talks held in Tokyo earlier in the day, maritime officials from both countries agreed to cut the fishing quota in each other's waters to 60,500 tons from 63,500 tons this year, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said.
It was the second consecutive annual drop in the two countries' fishing quota. The number was trimmed by 3,500 tons this year from 67,000 tons in 2005.
The annual number of South Korean ships permitted to fish in Japanese waters will be reduced by 25 to 1,025, with the same step applied to Japanese ships in South Korean waters, the ministry said.
Fishing quotas for key fish species will also remain unchanged, such as 23,385 tons for mackerel, 7,000 tons for saury and 8,550 tons for squid, the ministry said.
An EEZ is a sea zone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. It starts at the coastal baseline and extends 200 nautical miles out into the sea.
Seoul, Dec. 24 (Yonhap News)
S. Korea, Japan agree to cut fishing quotas next year |
