Korea: A Case Study in Promoting Development Through Fishermen’s Training
The recovery of Korea as a fishing country is one of the most significant recent developments in fisheries. Disappearance of the sardines, and the impact of the second world war and Korean war, ruined the country’s fishing industry. The Government of the Republic of Korea decided in the early 1960s to develop a deep-sea fishing industry, especially for tuna. The success of this enterprise is measured by the rise in the deep-sea catch from 657 metric tons in 1962 to 82,782 metric tons in 1969.One important factor in this successful development was the training scheme set up by the Government with the aid of the United Nations Development Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Training was essential because the country lacked captains, mates, engineers, and other technicians to operate the additional deep-sea fishing vessels.The traditional fishery educational institutes produced large numbers of graduates, but these had little practical training. The UNDP/FAO scheme, however, concentrated on practical training. The trainees were carefully selected to ensure their suitability and determination to take up fishing as a career. The thoroughness and effectiveness of the training is evidenced by the fact that all the 761 officers trained to date are employed on fishing boats.In view of the success of the deep-sea training scheme a similar project was established for training men in the coastal fisheries. The UNDP and FAO also assisted in this project. It has contributed officers to both the inshore and deep-sea fleets.