The temperature of South Korean waters has risen 1.29 C over the past 43 years, which is about triple the global average in the same period, government data showed Sunday.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said that the sea surface temperature rise was gauged at 207 locations around the Korean Peninsula from 1968 to 2010. In the same period, the world's sea surface temperature rose by 0.4 C, it said.

A lawmaker who obtained and released the data said that the steep temperature rise has affected the volume and variety of fish caught in South Korean waters, pointing to a growth in the catch of warm-current fish.

The lawmaker urged the government to continue its research on the effect of sea temperature rises on the sustainability of the nation's fishing industry. (Yonhap news)