But the total value edged up 0.9 percent on-year to 904.6 billion won last year on the back of a gain in flatfish prices.

The statistics office said seafood consumption was dragged down by an outbreak of cholera in the country last year and the implementation of an anti-corruption law, that bans all government officials, teachers and journalists from receiving a meal worth 30,000 won or over.

Undercooked seafood is a common cause of cholera.

Output of farmed flatfish reached 41,636 tons last year, accounting for 51.9 percent of the total production, followed by rockfish with 18,032 tons and mullet with 7,110 tons.

In 2016, there were 1,688 fishing farms in South Korea, with 5,420 employees, the data showed. (Yonhap)