Article: [Contribution] "Salmon farming industry is a new growth engine for fisheries"

In South Korea, the annual per capita consumption of seafood was at the level of 36 to 37 kg until the 1990s, but has steadily increased since the 2000s and now reaches 60 to 70 kg. Over the past two decades, while the seafood consumption has approximately doubled, there is a particular item that has shown noticeable rapid growth: salmon. Salmon imports were less than 2,000 tons in 1997, but as of last year, imports reached 46,000 tons, marking an increase of about 20 times. The global salmon market size amounts to 60 trillion won, and since the 2000s, the continuous growth in consumption has been driven by the expansion of the foodservice industry and home meal replacement (HMR) market, as well as the premium image of omega-3 rich health foods. Now, salmon has established itself as a popular seafood, earning the title of 'national fish.' However, most of the salmon consumed in South Korea relies on imports, which poses several structural issues. Supply can be unstable due to ...