The governments of South Korea and Iran have agreed to hold talks on fishery co-operation including setting up a joint fish farming venture.

The two countries have already held preliminary discussions and the news follows a trade show in Tehran in May, where 80 Korean companies were represented.

South Korea is rich in fishery resources, but after years of pressure on wild fish stocks , conventional fishing has declined and given way to increased aquaculture related activity. It is now the world’s seventh largest fish farmer.

Extensive aquaculture has been practiced in Korea for several hundred years, but modern intensive aquaculture (mainly for seaweed and shellfish) did not emerge until the 1960s but has now grow into a major industry. Joint ventures with other countries are coming into vogue.

There have been deliberate efforts to shift from the production of low value aquaculture  such as seaweeds to high value species, such as oyster in South Korea. The government has been pursuing a long-term aquaculture development programme through the expansion of areas for aquaculture and the intensified development of both profitable and unexploited species.

The Seoul government said in a statement last week that it is to  begin discussions  with Iran on boosting their bilateral cooperation in the fisheries sector that will include a joint fish farming venture.

Korea New reports that the talks will be held in Iran  involving officials from South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and their Iranian counterparts.

Source: Fish Update // Original Article