Emergy evaluation of management measures for derelict fishing gears in Korea

Abstract

Derelict fishing gears (DFGs) have been recognized as an important marine debris issue that requires urgent action in Korea. This study used the emergy methodology to evaluate the cost efficiency of three DFG management measures of Korea from a biophysical perspective. Selected measures were the cleanup-using-ships (CL) program, the buyback (BB) program, and the floating reception barge (FB) program that ranged from more preventive approaches to curative ones in the management spectrum of DFGs. Among three measures, the CL program was the costliest one to implement both in emergy and monetary terms. The FB program that is closest to the preventive side of the spectrum required the least emergy input and monetary cost. The emergy requirements per ton of DFGs collected for the CL and BB programs were 4.4 and 3.6 times that of the FB program, respectively. The CL and BB program also required more inputs in monetary terms - 8.6 and 6.8 times higher, respectively, than the FB program did. The closer a measure is to the preventive side of the management spectrum, the less costly its implementation. This suggests that in terms of cost to implement, the current DFG management policy needs to be reorganized so that preventive measures can play a larger role in dealing with DFG issues in Korea.