According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the by-products of marine products, including quartz and shell of shellfish, contain a large amount of useful ingredients such as calcium and collagen. Therefore, although its value as a recycling resource is very high, it has been difficult to recycle due to poor management systems and problems with handling large amounts of moisture and salts.
In response, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the "1st Basic Plan for Recycling of Fisheries Products" and announced that it will raise the recycling rate of fisheries products from the current 19.5% to 30% by 2027.
To this end, starting with expanding the separation and discharge of marine products, we plan to come up with measures such as expanding facilities for recycling shellfish shells and expanding the market for recycled products.
The most important thing to note is the recycling part of fish by-products. Until now, fishery products have been mainly used as low-value added fertilizers and feed through simple treatment such as grinding and drying. However, overseas, fisheries products are used as eco-friendly recycling resources with high added value, such as bioplastics and bottom quality improvement agents in fish farms.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries also plans to create a natural coastline using oyster shells to enhance climate adaptability and greenhouse gas absorption on the coast. The focus is on artificial reef production technology, which is the basis for creating sea forests.
We are also promoting the development of materialization technology. Fish, seaweed, and shellfish will be developed as marine bio-materials for functional foods and cosmetics, and seaweed byproducts that are not currently consumed for food, such as black bean hat, will be developed as alternative feed.
Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-hwan said, "We evaluate fisheries products as the first step to develop a recycling ecosystem from the perspective of resource circulation," adding, "We will do our best to save the coastal and fishing environment and become a new source of income for fishing villages."
Writer: Yeyoung Jeon
(Picture from Unsplash)
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