ⓒYONHAP News

The government has decided to release the country's last captive Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin from its aquarium dwelling into waters near Jeju Island.

Fisheries minister Cho Seung-hwan on Wednesday announced Bibong the dolphin would be set free, specifying that preparations, such as training the animal to adapt to life in the wild, will soon begin.

Since being captured in waters near Jeju in 2005, Bibong had been trained to perform at the former Pacific Land marine park.

After the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin was designated as a protected marine species in 2012, a total of seven such dolphins have been released into the ocean.

The government plans to attach a GPS device to Bibong before the release to track the animal's movements and other developmental data points over a period of one year.