South Korea's fishery output inched down last year from a year earlier as stricter fishing regulations, low water temperatures and red tide in coastal areas hampered catch, data showed Thursday.

Production of fisheries amounted to 3.16 million tons last year, down 0.9 percent, or 28,000 tons, from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea.

The output is valued at 7.2 trillion won ($6.7 billion) last year, which is also down 6 percent from 2012 when Korea registered 7.69 trillion won.

The agency attributed the decline to toughened deep water fishing regulations coupled with such unfavorable conditions as low water temperatures and red tide during the summer, which hinder fish catch in coastal areas.

Lowered demand for fisheries from worries over radioactive contamination in Japan also drove down the output and value figures, it added.

Deep-water catch was down 4.4 percent on-year to some 550,000 tons in 2013, while coastal fishery production came to 1.05 million tons, down 4.3 percent form a year earlier, the data showed. (Yonhap)