Changing face of coastal habitat make the bustling fishing village sits idle and fishing boats stranded at Sorae Port area.
Modern houses, cars and traffic have made the Sorae Port fishing village a busy commercial town. This bustling fishing village is now hemmed in by gigantic modern apartment complexes, making it look distinctly out of place. The docks themselves, crammed with carts and crates, are thronged with a crush of visitors, swarming beneath clumps of jolly red parasols.
There were rows of idle fishing boats lie stranded along the serene tidal creek, their swathes of multicolored nets spread out to dry nearby. A short stroll along the inlet reveals a more expansive intertidal area, leading into the watery cul-de-sac of Wolgot harbor, framed by a windy promenade of gaudy fish restaurants.
Commercial fishing occurs offshore, the vital role of estuaries was disregarded. In recent decades, over 70 percent of these areas have been destroyed by massive reclamation projects, converted into barrages or office space, often without environmental impact assessments. These projects have decreased the national capture fishing industry significantly. Record shows that 2001 was an unprecedented turning point in the history of Korean fishing. For the first time, the country was forced to import more seafood than it exported. This trade gap has continued to widen, and the number of fishing vessels has also steadily declined, reflecting a chronic shortage of fish stocks.
