01Basic safety etiquette
Before boarding, the first thing to check is whether a life jacket is being worn. Since July 1, 2026, everyone on the exposed deck of a fishing vessel must wear a life jacket at all times, regardless of weather or headcount (check the latest Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries or Korea Coast Guard notice before departure for details).
Wearing a life jacket helps reduce body heat loss if you fall into the water and is known to extend the time you can stay afloat.
Also, before boarding, locate the electric or manual life buoy (life ring) and briefly brief all team members on its use in an emergency.
02Cooperation and communication
On board, share fishing spots and arrange lines so they do not tangle. Lines tend to tangle more often the closer they are to each other.
If radios or hand signals are pre‑designated among crew, sudden movements during a bite can be minimized. In particular, hand signals tend to be recognized more reliably at slower boat speeds.
When sorting fish after the catch, clearly delineate each person’s work area. Giving each person enough working space helps reduce damage to the catch.
- Not wearing a life jacket: Rescue time significantly increases if you fall into the water
- Line disorder: tangling leads to equipment damage and reduced fishing efficiency
- Lack of crew communication: collision risk in urgent situations
03Environmental protection etiquette
Protecting the marine ecosystem is central to fishing etiquette. Leaving as little plastic waste behind as possible is the basic rule for protecting the marine environment.
After fishing, all remaining line, hooks, and plastic items must be collected. Reusing hooks and line helps cut down on waste.
Debris floating on the surface hinders fish respiration and negatively impacts temperature‑sensitive species (e.g., olive flounder). Therefore, trash collection should be completed within 15 minutes before the trip ends.
04Pre‑trip checklist
Organizing pre‑trip items into a checklist greatly reduces errors. The checklist consists of five key elements.
- Life jacket and life buoy wear status
- Communication equipment (radio·mobile phone) battery level
- Weather·marine forecast (wind ≤15 kt, wave height ≤1.5 m)
- Fishing gear (line·hook·rig) condition
- Prepare environmental collection items
For example, when wind exceeds 15 kt, vessel control becomes unstable, lines move abruptly, and bites are more easily missed.