By Kwon Mee-yoo
An ayu, or sweetfish, found in the Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul has ignited a dispute between the city government and environmental civic groups.
Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) boasted that the finding of the sweetfish, which returns from the sea to spawn in fresh streams in clean water, reflects the sound ecosystem of the manmade stream. But environmental organizations are skeptical, claiming that it might have been purposely released there.
The municipal government said there are 468 kinds of flora and fauna living in or alongside the Cheonggye Stream, after monitoring the ecological system from March to July.
The Korea Society for Environmental Restoration and Revegetation Technology carried out the research on behalf of the city and found the sweetfish. However, environmental activists are raising questions about the find.
In May, the city said dark chub had been found in the stream ㅡ another claim doubted by activists who called for a joint survey.
The Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) said SMG should conduct an ecological survey with civic groups to secure transparency.
“Seoul City promoted the discovery of a sweetfish as if Cheonggye Stream is clean enough for the fish to spawn in it,” a KFEM representative said. “There is the possibility of an artificial release of the fish by citizens, but the city called such a chance coincidence.”
The KFEM also said the city only surveyed the lower reaches of the stream, joining the Jungnang River, which is better preserved and has designated avian sanctuaries. “Seoul City’s survey could have exaggerated the numbers of downstream creatures living along the stream,” the representative said. “Moreover, sweetfish can spawn in dirty water as well and it is not proper to assume the restored stream is clean only because of a sweetfish.”
Other experts, however, agree with SMG on the possibility of sweetfish swimming upstream from the Han River.
Hwang Jong-seo of the Stream Corridor Restoration Lab said he sees quite a few sweetfish in the Han every year and the one found in Cheonggye Stream could have braved the current.
SMG released some 400,000 sweetfish fingerlings in the Han River between 2002 and 2005.
“It is more likely for the fish to come from the Han River, than being artificially released in Cheonggye Stream,” Hwang said. Many environmentalists say that Seoul City’s attempt to publicize the sound ecosystem of the stream with findings of sweetfish and others is meaningless, calling the artificial stream just a “big fish tank.”