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Busan Metropolitan City Fisheries Resources Research Institute Releases 50,000 Juvenile River Pufferfish

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The Busan Metropolitan City Fisheries Resources Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as the Institute) announced that it will release 50,000 juvenile river pufferfish produced in-house today (July 15) into the coastal waters of Saha-gu and Gangseo-gu.

The juvenile river pufferfish to be released were produced by securing fertilized eggs in May, hatching them at the Institute, and rearing them for more than 50 days. They are high-quality, disease-free juveniles measuring at least 5.0 centimeters (cm) in length.

River pufferfish can grow up to 45 centimeters (cm) in the sea and are highly adaptable to varying salinity levels. During their spawning season, from late April to late June, they migrate upstream to lay eggs on gravel beds. As a result, they are regarded as a premium fish species that is primarily caught in river estuaries during the spring.

River pufferfish were once found in the Nakdong River but disappeared due to environmental changes and other factors. Today, they are found only in the Imjin River and Han River basins in Korea. To restore the brackish ecosystem of the Nakdong River estuary, the Institute successfully achieved its first pilot production of juvenile river pufferfish in 2018 and has continued releasing them ever since.

Kim Joon-tae, Director of the Busan Metropolitan City Fisheries Resources Research Institute, said, “Since 2018, we have released river pufferfish every year, bringing the cumulative total released into the coastal waters of the Nakdong River estuary to approximately 500,000. This year alone, we have released 800,000 juvenile fish, including olive flounder, blackhead seabream, and river pufferfish. We will continue working to increase fishers’ incomes and restore depleted coastal fishery resources by releasing a diverse range of aquatic seed stock produced in-house, including kuruma shrimp.”