A Study on the Current Status of Flounder Egg Production and Strategies for the Development of the Seed Industry

This study examines the current state of fertilized egg production in the olive flounder industry and investigates the causes of the recent decline in production volume, with the aim of proposing development strategies for the olive flounder fertilized egg sector. In 2025, the supply of fertilized eggs stood at 170,000 cc, a sharp decline of 57% compared to 2015, while the number of fertilized egg producing farms decreased from seven to two. The fertilized egg market is estimated at approximately KRW 500 million, indicating that the scale of value creation remains modest relative to total olive flounder production value. The primary causes of the decline in fertilized egg production include deteriorating profitability, a shortened spawning cycle due to climate change, a growing preference for stocking juvenile fish at the intermediate rearing stage, and a shift in species cultivation toward starry flounder. Four key development strategies are proposed to stabilize fertilized egg production and ensure the long-term sustainability of the olive flounder aquaculture industry: (1) support for fertilized egg producing farms, (2) strengthening public support for breeding program operations, (3) improvement of fertilized egg production infrastructure, and (4) establishment of institutional measures to stabilize fertilized egg prices and markets.