<Anchor> The
problem of marine debris that threatens sea creatures, it is not a day or two.
This time, a piece of styrofoam spilled out of the stomach of a sea turtle found dead on the east coast.
It appears to be part of a floating farm buoy.
Reporter Lee Yong-shik covered it.
<Reporter> A
red sea turtle, an endangered species, was found dead in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
At an autopsy earlier this month, a lot of styrofoam fragments were found in the stomach.
Small tendons range from 1cm in length to large pieces of 7cm.
Pieces of styrofoam are also pouring from another turtle.
[Lee Hye-rim/National Ecological Institute veterinarian: If the styrofoam is not discharged, it will cause intestinal obstruction, which leads to clogged intestines.]
It seems that the styrofoam floating in the sea was mistaken for food.
Among these styrofoam waste, there are not a few farm buoys that have fallen apart.
Styrofoam buoys are also a headache for fishermen.
[Farm fishermen: I start drinking water after a year. A hole is drilled and it becomes that state, polluting the environment... .] The
Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries estimates that as of last year, the number of buoys used by farms nationwide was 55 million.
Of these, styrofoam buoys amount to 41 million, or 75%.
Recently, eco-friendly buoys with low damage and low wear rates have been introduced, but the price is three times that of styrofoam buoys, which is a burden.
So, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries started a business to change all buoys to eco-friendly by 2025, but the replacement rate for four years until last year was only 25%.
It is expected that it will take some time for the styrofoam display boards for fishing grounds other than farms to be removed from support.
(Video coverage: Kang Yun-gu, screen provided: National Institute of Ecology and National Marine Biological Resource Center)