[The Hwankyung Ilbo] According to the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), the water quality of the coastal waters around the country and aquaculture areas in 2017 was found to be good overall.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science has been monitoring the fishery environment of the aquaculture farms, village fisheries, estuarine coasts all over the country every year in order to check the water quality and utilize it for the related policy establishment. Last year, a total of 6 surveys at 256 points located on the coast of the country were conducted.

The Water Quality Index (WQI) analysis carried out based on this survey showed that the water quality status was relatively good and 98.4% of 256 points nationwide were observed as 'normal' or above.

This is an increase of about 5% compared to 93.8% of 2016 and the coastal water quality has improved overall.

The NIFS has been continuously measuring the quality of coastal water since 1997, and the concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus(DIP) have been found to be improving.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science said, "We will continue to check the status of the coastal water quality and share the results with related organizations such as the municipalities, so that we can use it to establish and implement related policies such as coastal cleanup activities and water quality inspection at fish farms."

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