하루의 8할이 기다림인 시간! 은빛 찬란한 멸치떼를 기다린다! 5백년 넘게 이어진 전통 어업유산 '죽방렴' (KBS 20141218 방송)

▶ A Net of Time, 80% Waiting: Jukbangryeom The sea always knows the arrival of spring first. And the fishermen of the South Sea have never missed the vibrant spring colors that fill the sea. Boats using over 30 different methods, including driftnets, gillnets, coastal ditch nets, longline nets, and gillnets, set sail for the South Sea. On a spring day, Mijo Port is bustling with life as fishermen, their silver-scaled scales covering their nets, work to clear the anchovies. However, even in the South Sea, the anchovy fishing in the Jijok Strait presents a completely different scene. Instead of boats setting up fish finders and deploying large nets to chase schools of anchovies, what they find are jukbangryeom (竹防簾), bamboo screens set into the sea. Anchovies aren't always available, so jukbangryeom fishermen wait for low tide twice a day, heading out in small wooden boats. The net of time, where 80% of the day is spent waiting, is the bamboo curtain. ▶ Waiting for the Silver Anchovy The South Sea is rich in the silver of anchovies. Because they are small and common, the [Jasaneobo] refers to anchovies as "myeo-eo" (蔑魚), using the character "myeo" (蔑), meaning "despise." It is also written as "myeo-eo" (滅魚), meaning "death," suggesting that "once out of the water, they die quickly due to their impatience." However, anchovies are by no means negligible in the ocean. In the oceans of over 20,000 species of fish, anchovies, with their sturdy, skeletal structure, comprise the largest population. Yet, the story of these dazzling, silvery anchovies has often been overlooked due to their ubiquity. The story unfolds with the drama of the food chain with predators like cutlassfish, the midnight dance of schools of anchovies that swim freely across the South Sea like migratory birds adorning the sky, and the vibrant story of the bamboo curtain, a gift from nature that sustains the lives of fishermen. ▶ The History of the Bamboo Curtain and the Jijok Strait Despite changing times, how has the bamboo curtain, one of the world's few remaining primitive and traditional fishing heritages, been able to continue for over 500 years as a livelihood, a livelihood imbued with the sweat of life? The bamboo curtain (竹防簾) is a type of fish net made of bamboo. Oak stakes are driven into shallow waters like a fence, and bamboo nets are woven tightly together like a net. It consists of a V-shaped opening for the entrance of fish and a trap for the fish to collect. This design ensures that fish entering during high tide are trapped and unable to escape during low tide. This type of bamboo curtain, a form of fishing practice that has existed since prehistoric times, is now one of the few remaining examples in the world, located around the Jijok Strait in the South Sea, making it a valuable fishing heritage site. Meanwhile, the first written record of bamboo curtains in the Namhae region appears in the "Gyeongsang-do Sokchan Jiriji Namhae Hyeonjo," compiled in the first year of King Yejong's reign (1496), confirming a history of at least 500 years. Furthermore, Kim Ryeo's Uhae Eobo (1803), written in the late Joseon Dynasty, provides a detailed description of the methods used to make bamboo curtains and catch fish. The Jijok Strait area, with its shallow waters, rapid currents, and large tidal fluctuations, offers ideal conditions for bamboo curtains. ▶ Village Culture Empowered by Jukbangryeom: The Silvery Lives of Namhae People The construction of a single bamboo curtain requires 1,500 bamboo strips, each at least 10cm in diameter, and 300 oak logs. This massive undertaking requires the labor of around ten men, taking 50 to 60 days. Even if they don't make new ones every year, replacing worn-out poles and bamboo screens is a frequent task, a task impossible for one person to handle alone. Therefore, the villagers naturally formed a community centered around the bamboo screen. The bamboo screen is a heritage that would have long since vanished if not for the collaborative efforts of many. Even today, these people live their days by the sea, guided by the moon's rhythm. Even the name Jijok (知足), meaning "knowing enough," suggests that these people, who wait for the anchovies that the sea provides, know that while the sea brings in anchovies, it is humans who inspire it. ▶ Jukbangryeom, the Underwater Ecological Garden of the South Sea The turbulent Jijok Strait, compared to the calm bay, presents challenges for aquatic life. The rapids carry away small fish and make it difficult for seaweed to establish roots. However, with the bamboo screen, the situation changes. Firmly anchored in the sea, seaweed grows abundantly around the bamboo screen, and the creatures that cling to the screens form a beautiful underwater garden. The bamboo nets and bamboo screens that form the bamboo curtains partially block the fast-flowing waters, fostering the habitat of seaweed, shellfish, and small fish. The seaweed, in turn, becomes a spawning ground...