20241017 Masao Atsumi

Atsumi checks the scallops he is cultivating from his boat. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

South Korea, Japan fishing towns fight to survive as climate change heats seas

Waters warming faster than global average force fish to migrate, upending livelihoods

ULLEUNG ISLAND, South Korea/ISHINOMAKI, Japan -- Working under a sprawling blue sky and dazzling sunlight, Kim Hae-soo is feeling the heat changing the South Korean waters he has fished for 44 years. As water temperatures rise, the squid that have been his livelihood are disappearing, moving north in search of cooler seas.

"The waters are different now," Kim told Nikkei Asia. "They have always gotten warmer in the summer, but not like this. As fishermen, we know. We can feel it."

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