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Busan Releases 50,000 Juvenile Spotted Sea Bass and 2 Million Juvenile Sailfin Sculpin into Coastal Waters

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that the Fisheries Resources Research Institute will release approximately 50,000 juvenile spotted sea bass and 2 million juvenile sailfin sculpin, produced in-house, into the coastal waters of Busan from today (Feb. 26) through March 3.

In particular, today’s (Feb. 26) release event will be held as a public “hands-on release” to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening of Busan Port. The event will begin at 2:20 p.m. in front of the Songdo Beach Marine Leisure Sports Center and is open to all citizens.

On March 3 at 10:30 a.m., 40,000 spotted sea bass will be released at Dadae Fishing Village Cooperative in Saha-gu. In addition, 1 million juvenile sailfin sculpin will be released on March 4 at 10:30 a.m. at Dadae Fishing Village Cooperative in Saha-gu, and another 1 million at 2:30 p.m. at Dongseon Fishing Village Cooperative in Gangseo-gu.

The juvenile spotted sea bass to be released were produced by securing fertilized eggs last November and hatching them in-house, followed by more than 80 days of rearing. Measuring over 6.0 centimeters in length, they are healthy and disease-free, and are expected to adapt well and grow successfully in the wild.

Spotted sea bass inhabit shallow coastal waters, typically living over sandy bottoms or among rocky crevices. They usually grow to 20–30 centimeters in length but can reach up to 1 meter depending on environmental conditions. Their diet mainly consists of seaweeds, small crustaceans, and fish.

Compared to common sea bass, they have greater environmental adaptability and are capable of spawning in both seawater and freshwater. They are most abundantly caught during the summer months from June to August, when they are considered even more flavorful than common sea bass and are highly sought after by gourmets.

The sailfin sculpin released this time are at the juvenile stage, with the Institute completing the entire process from securing fertilized eggs to in-house production. As a species with a relatively limited migratory range and strong coastal settlement characteristics, it is assessed as having a high likelihood that release efforts will directly lead to increased local fishery production.

A representative cold-water species of the winter season, sailfin sculpin inhabit relatively deep coastal waters over sandy and muddy bottoms. Their spawning season is known to occur mainly in winter, from December to February, and they are active in low-temperature environments. Once grown, they are widely consumed as a regional winter delicacy, particularly popular in clear soups and spicy fish stews.

Kim Jun-tae, Director of the Busan Fisheries Resources Research Institute, stated, “Since 2009, we have continuously released coastal settlement species such as olive flounder and black porgy,” adding, “We will continue to do our utmost to enhance fishery productivity, increase fishermen’s income, and restore depleted coastal resources through the sustained release of high-quality fish seeds.”