Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to analyze the cooperative squid fisheries problems surrounding the $E128^{\circ}$, established by the 1965 Korea - Japan Fisheries Agreement which banned Korean large trawlers' fishing east to the $E128^{\circ}$ In fact, the moratorium was put on by Japans request. However, such issue did not occur until the filefish stock in the southern Korean sea, which was a major target fish species of the large trawl fisheries, The filefish stock collapsed completely around 1991 and at the same time most of bottom fish stocks in the East China Sea began to show a symptom of over - exploitation. Thus, the off - shore large trawlers learned to have a little opportunity of finding out alternative fish stocks as well as fishing grounds. Fortunately, at that time squid resource stock and consumption were on the increasing trend. The large trawl fisheries were able to economically exploit squid stock east to the $E128^{\circ}$ through cooperative fishing with squid angling light boats in the East and East - South Sea, even though such cooperative fishing activities violate the existing fishery laws apparently. Some important reasons that the large trawlers have continued the cooperative fishing seem to be because (ⅰ) squid resource stock has been on the increasing state over time, (ⅱ) the trawl fisheries have made a significant contribution to meeting domestic and export demands and stabilizing squid prices, and (ⅲ) they have kept domestic squid market from foreign competition. However, the new Korea - Japan fisheries agreement in 1998 provided a momentum of questioning the effectiveness of the $E128^{\circ}$ by the squid - related fisheries other than the squid angling. Serious conflicts between squid - related fisheries began to emerge and to be much intensified. Squid angling industries in the East opposed to large trawlers's efforts to formalize such illegal cooperative squid fishing activities. Their main argument was that such formalizing would definitely make the East coast squid prices lower and in turn their business performance would be worse off. The results of quantitative analysis suggest that the trawlers' massive landing may have a significant influence on lowering the east coast squid prices. Now, an important issue that the squid - related fisheries and the government are facing is to solve such complex squid fishing problems through a multi - participatory negotiation process, including price stabilization, total allowable catch level and its operation schemes, $E128^{\circ}$ rearrangement, and so on.
