Four shovelers up over the Baylands
South Korea’s beloved squid may vanish from its waters due to climate change, heat waves
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South Korea’s beloved squid may vanish from its waters due to climate change, heat wavesSEOUL — Many South Koreans remember days when squid was inexpensive, everyday food: Stir-fried with spicy chili flakes, steamed in a bath of water and soju, or dried and eaten as a bar snack along…
A study by researchers at Pukyong National University in Busan looked at whether ocean changes explain the falling catch of Pacific flying squid (Todarodes pacificus) in South Korean waters.
- The researchers compared fishery records from 1993 to 2025 with data on sea temperatures, currents, winds and climate conditions in the Pacific, then ran models.
- Models predict South Korea could reach a "zero-catch state" for the squid between 2043 and 2048, depending on emissions. Sea surface temperatures around the peninsula rose 0.7°C over the past decade, more than twice the global average.
- Marine heat waves (periods of unusually warm seawater lasting at least five straight days) add stress on top of long-term warming. Catch records are not a direct count of all squid in the sea, the authors caution.
"Catch records are valuable, but they are not a direct count of all squid in the sea." (Kim Kyung-hoi, the study's corresponding author)
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