Dear members of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science,
This is Lim Han Kyu of Mokpo National University, who will serve as the 2024 president of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science.
The new year of Gapjin, the year of Cheongyong, has arrived. We hope that the energy and good fortune of Cheongyong will be with you and your families.
The Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science is Korea's representative academic organization with a long history of nearly 70 years of distinguished service. We publish the Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, a journal registered with the National Research Foundation of Korea. Furthermore, our SCOPUS-registered journal provides useful academic information to researchers. The society has supported technological development in various industrial fields such as fisheries resources, aquaculture, and seafood. We lead the development of the fisheries industry; however, along with the recent rapid decline in population, other major social problems, such as regional extinction, are negatively affecting the fisheries industry. Fishing villages, which are the foundation of fisheries, are collapsing as young people are leaving fishing villages and abandoning the fishing industry.
It is time for us to step forward and seriously consider the future of Korea’s fisheries. When we lost everything in the Korean War and were left poverty-stricken, our predecessors travelled across rough seas and oceans to earn foreign currency. Even under poor educational and research environments, they created a path to nurture younger students and advance academics. Let us pass down thriving fisheries to the next generations to repay the efforts of our predecessors who developed the fisheries. This can only be achieved through diverse opinions and full participation of our members. Therefore, we ask for the participation and cooperation of all members to create a foundation for young scientists and fishermen to thrive in all fields of the fisheries industry this year. I will also do my best to help the Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science and Korea's fishing industry develop.
I wish the members and your families good luck and health in 2024.
January 1st, 2024
Han-Kyu Lim, Ph.D, President of KOSFAS