Regulatory Reform Proposals for the Korean Deep Sea Fishing Industry

원양어업(遠洋漁業)에 대한 정부규제(政府規制)의 개선방안(改善方案)

The basic purpose behind the Korean government's policy toward the Korean deep sea fishing industry is to limit growth of the industry. Therefore, the regulations on the industry are generally restrictive and interventionist. The policy is intended to maintain high domestic fish prices in order to protect the domestic coastal fishing industry. Some regulations have also been introduced to maintain "industrial order." Each fishing vessel must obtain a government permit for operation. The permit specifies the kind of fish it can catch, the area of sea in which it can operate, and the port at which it can unload its catches. The number of permits government issues each year is based on the estimates of the demand increase calculated by government officials, and the government traditionally has been fairly conservative in its estimation, reflecting its concern for fish price stabilization, which actually implies a gradual increase of the prices. There is also a restriction on importing vessels from abroad. This regulation is intended to protect the domestic shipbuilding industry. However, this regulation has resulted in an unusually high average age of Korean fishing vessels, causing fishing costs to rise. These regulations and the inflexible response of the regulators to changing circumstances have resulted in many problems: i) high domestic fish prices, which are, to some extent deliberately, inflated to three or four times the level of international prices, resulting in huge consumer welfare losses; ii) over-exploitation of coastal fish resources; iii) provision of a hospitable environment for inefficient firms to survive, which is especially evident from the fact that, despite the high fish prices in Korea, most of the firms in the industry do not enjoy high profitability. It also must be pointed out that the actual beneficiaries of the high fish prices are the large operators, who are protected from competition and provide most of the fish for domestic consumption, rather than the low-income fishing households and small coastal operators whom the policy was originally designed to help. This study proposes a set of regulatory reforms and policy changes which could Promote competition and equity within the industry and allow firms to reduce costs and increase productivity. Such changes can make the industry more efficient and internationally competitive. Major proposals are, among others: minimization of bureaucratic discretion in issuing fishing permits and maintaining transparency in the governments' decision-making processes; reduction of the government permit specifications and simplification of the operational categories within the industry; and removal of the restrictions on importing foreign fishing vessels.

우리나라의 수산정책(水産政策)과 원양어업관련(遠洋漁業關聯) 정부규제(政府規制)는 과거부터 연안어업보호(沿岸漁業保護)와 기존사업자간의 이해조정을 위해 제한적이고 간섭적인 요소가 많이 존재하고 있다. 이는 사업자들의 기술개발(技術開發) 및 비용절감(費用節減) 의지(意志)를 약화시켜 산업의 장기적 체질강화(體質强化)를 위해서도 바람직하지 않을 뿐 아니라, 사업자간의 형평문제(衡平問題)도 야기하고 있는 실정이다. 또한 오랜 동안 누적되어온 어가안정정책(魚價安定政策)은 국내어가(國內魚價)의 상승을 초래하여 국민경제적 부담이 되고 있을 뿐 아니라, 어업의 산업구조조정(産業構造調整)을 지연시키고 연안(沿岸) 어자원(魚資源)의 고갈을 촉진시키는 한 요인이 되고 있다. 이 연구에서는 현행 원양어업(遠洋漁業) 관련정책(關聯政策) 정부규제(政府規制)의 문제점을 검토하고 원양어업의 장기적 발전과 자율화의 추세에 부응하기 위한 정부규제(政府規制)의 개선방안(改善方案)을 제시하고자 하였다. 주요개선방안으로는 허가과정(許可過程)의 객관화(客觀化)와 투명화(透明化)를 보장하기 위한 의무허가제(義務許可制)의 도입과 이를 통한 연근해어업(沿近海漁業) 구조조정기금(構造調整基金)의 조성, 허가조건 및 업종구분의 단순화와 어선확보(漁船確保)에 대한 규제의 완화를 통한 경영합리화(經營合理化) 여건의 조성, 신어장개척(新漁場開拓)에 대한 유인제공 등을 제시하고 있다.