한국 멸치어업 발전사

History of the Korean Anchovy Fisheries

Anchovy is the most produced fishing species in Korea. Consumers widely use anchovies as side dishes, soup-base, and salted anchovies (Jeotgal). This study is on the development history of anchovy fishery in Korea. Although research of old documents is needed for the study of fisheries history, there is very little documentation of anchovies. Also, there was no unified name for anchovy nationwide. Anchovy name and fisheries start to appear in documents from the latter period of the Josun Dynasty. Such indicates anchovy was not an important commercial species. The reason seems to be its small size, fast decay, and the lack of process for drying them or making salted anchovies, leading to no intentional fishing despite the fact that there was an abundance of population. Going through the end of Korean Empire and Japanese occupation, modern anchovy fishing gear and methods such as anchovy boat seine, set net, lift net, gill net were introduced and anchovies became popular. Last year, there were worries of anchovy population depletion due to climate change. Important as food not only for Koreans but also for other fish, anchovy needs more research.