INCHEON — Blue crab, Incheon's signature seafood, is heading into a large direct-sale festival to boost consumption after an expansion of night fishing along the city's coast lifted autumn catches. The move is designed to support income for fishing households harvesting blue crab, the species that has benefited most from the eased night fishing rules, and to spur seafood demand.
The Incheon metropolitan government said it will hold the Yeonan Pier and Seafood (Blue Crab) Festival on the 24th and 25th at an event site in front of the Incheon General Fish Market at Yeonan Pier in Jemulpo District.
The festival focuses on channeling the recent pickup in local fishing — driven by the easing of night fishing restrictions in designated waters of the Yellow Sea and along the coast — directly into stable consumer prices and real income for fishermen. Blue crab, which has become a key source of earnings for fishermen since night operations were permitted, will be supplied through direct sales, sharply reducing distribution margins.
The centerpiece of the event is a half-price special discount on blue crab shipped directly from the fishing grounds. At a special booth operating from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on both days, live blue crab will be sold in limited quantities at 50% below market prices. By cutting out middlemen, the arrangement gives fishermen a stable outlet for bulk sales while easing the price burden on visitors.
The festival will also feature hands-on programs, including a blue crab ramen cook-off and a crab weight-guessing contest, along with a photo exhibition on the history of Yeonan Pier.
The city said it will continue to expand direct-sale markets and distribution networks linked to fishing grounds so that the larger catches resulting from expanded night fishing can fetch fair prices.
"We hope the vitality of Incheon's coastal waters, now busier thanks to expanded night fishing, translates directly into income for fishing villages," said Kim Ik-jung, director general of the city's agriculture, fisheries and food bureau. "We will focus on increasing consumption of high-quality Incheon blue crab to improve business conditions for fishermen and small business owners."