‘Japanese female crab’ banned from domestic distribution

The government is considering restricting the distribution of Japanese female crabs sold domestically. In Korea, the capture and distribution of female crabs is prohibited in order to protect crab resources under the Fisheries Resources Management Act, but Japan has no legal regulations and exports are allowed. As a result, as Japanese female crabs have been flowing into Korea, Gyeongbuk Province and fishermen have been strongly demanding that distribution be prohibited due to concerns about market disruption. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries recently announced that it has decided to revise the Fisheries Industry Act Enforcement Decree and the Fisheries Resources Management Act to restrict the distribution of Japanese female crabs and to collect opinions from stakeholders. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is also pushing forward with the application of the distribution history system for imported aquatic products to Japanese female crabs. To this end, the ...