Tongyeong-si, South Korea - October 27, 2024 South Korean oyster farmers say they have suffered serious loss in a traditional harvest season, as the longest sea water temperature rise ever recorded kills their oysters extensively. The seawater high temperature warning has been in place for 71 days in South Korea, the longest ever seen. As a result, so far in October, a traditional harvest season for South Korean oyster farmers, they have seen their loss going up as persisting high temperature drops oxygen content in water and drives up bacterial reproduction. Oysters are heat-tolerated, but the water temperature of over 30 degrees-Celsius in August and September killed a great number of them, said Joo Da-han, an oyster farmer in Tongyeong, a major oyster-producing region in South Korea. He said that over half of his harvested oysters died and the survived ones are less than half the normal size, which means they are unqualified for being sold on the market. The high mortality rate is widely seen across other major oyster-producing regions in the southern part of the country, with 35 percent of the total farming area being affected. Ji Hong-Tae, president of the Oyster Farming Association of Tongyeong, said that impacts of the high death toll have caused short supply on the market. As short supply of marine product spreads, South Korea has been increasing import from other countries, including mussels, abalone and clams from China. Shotlist: Tongyeong, South Korea - Oct 27, 2024: 1. Various of fishing vessel sailing in oyster farm; 2. Oysters being harvested; 3. Various of oyster fishermen working; 4. Various of harvested oysters; 5. Opened oyster; 6. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Joo Da-han, oyster farmer (ending with shot 7): "The harvest this year is not good. It may be the worst year ever seen. In some of the oyster farms, the oyster mortality rates are as high as 90 percent."; 7. Oyster farm; 8. Various of oyster auction market, staff recording prices; 9. Various of oysters on sale; 10. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Ji Hong-Tae, president, Oyster Farming Association of Tongyeong (ending with shot 11): "Currently, there are about 20 percent less oysters on the auction market compared with last year. In addition, rising seawater temperature has been pushing up the mortality of seed oysters. Farmers are worrying that their harvest will further drop in the next year."; 11. Various of oyster auction market, oyster being unloaded; 12. Various of fishing vessel sailing in oyster farm; 13. Various of harvested oysters being cleaned. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]