Masanobu Sakamoto: Issues Facing the Japanese Fishing Industry and Sustainable Development

In December 2020, the Fishery Act (Revised Fishery Act), which legally defines Japan's fisheries and fishers, was revised and enacted for the first time in 70 years.

Seventy years ago, the author was not yet born, but the Japanese government's policy at the time was to provide the Japanese people with fish as a nutritious source of protein, and furthermore, to venture out into the world's oceans to catch fish and export them to earn foreign currency.

Following this national policy, fishers actively engaged in fishing and gathered fish from oceans around the world. Combined with a diet traditionally centered on rice and fish, Japan became the world's leading fishing nation, reaching its peak in 1984 with a production volume of 12.82 million tons.

However, production has continued to decline since then, falling to 4.17 million tons in 2021, approximately one-third of its peak.

Various factors have been pointed out as causes for this.

Looking at the long-term trends in Japanese fishery production, deep-sea fishing, which operates in waters far from Japan, decreased from a peak of 3.99 million tons (1973) to 250,000 tons (2021) after being driven out of fishing grounds by the establishment of 200-nautical-mile zones by various countries since the 1970s. Additionally, Japanese sardines, known for extreme natural fluctuations in resource levels, saw catches of 4.49 million tons at their peak in 1988, but decreased significantly after the late 1990s, falling to as low as 27,000 tons in 2005 (680,000 tons in 2021). In addition to these two major factors, it has been pointed out that since the period of high economic growth, 40% of seaweed beds and tidal flats have disappeared due to land reclamation in coastal areas, leading to the loss of nursery grounds for juvenile fish and habitats for shellfish and benthic organisms.

The decline in deep-sea fishing and sardines has had a very large impact on production trends. However, if we exclude these decreases, production in the waters surrounding Japan has not seen a major decline over many years. This aligns with the actual experience of us fishers, who have continued sustainable operations while traditionally performing various forms of voluntary management.

For example, set-net fishing, a representative of coastal fishing, is a "waiting fishery" that waits for schools of fish. Therefore, the catch is high when resources are abundant and low when resources are scarce, which is why it is also called a "barometer of resource status." In Japan, not only set-nets but also fishing methods that harmonize with nature, such as pole-and-line and gillnets, have traditionally developed and supported Japan's fishing villages.

However, looking at the decade since around 2010, coastal production, which had been trending toward a gradual decline for a long time, has begun to drop sharply.

This sharp decline in catch is said to be a recent manifestation of changes in the marine environment. For example, links to environmental changes have been pointed out in the significant decrease in Pacific saury due to migration routes moving further offshore because of changes in ocean currents, the decrease in flying squid due to the shrinking of spawnable areas caused by rising water temperatures, and the decrease in salmon due to the shrinking of distributable areas caused by rising temperatures in the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

These changes in the sea are a major threat to us fishers, who make a living from coastal fishing utilizing marine resources that migrate to our local shores. In response to this situation, fishers are actively engaging in new resource management under the Revised Fishery Act, in addition to conventional voluntary efforts, to continue sustainable production while protecting resources. On the other hand, alongside these efforts, policy initiatives such as promoting the use of new migratory fish species and switching to other fishing methods in response to marine environmental changes have become necessary.

The government's new Basic Plan for Fisheries, approved by the Cabinet in March 2022, pointed out the effects of these marine environmental changes and clearly stated the need for responses and initiatives for the fishing industry to overcome this situation for its survival. Particularly for coastal fisheries, the plan positioned directions such as the utilization of new marine resources according to changes in migration, new aquaculture businesses, and the strengthening of value chains and high-value addition in processing and distribution by taking advantage of the proximity between production and consumption sites.

There are many challenges that coastal fishers and fisheries cooperatives must continue to address. These include measures for the management stability of fishers, the construction of systems with collection and price-forming power through the integration of local markets, human resource development to lead these efforts, CO2 reduction measures through the conservation of seaweed beds and tidal flats, and the promotion of coastal area utilization such as "Umigyo" (ocean-based businesses).

Does this situation mean that Japanese fisheries are losing their sustainability as an industry? Not at all. I personally believe that "Japanese fisheries are by no means a declining industry. Rather, they possess great potential."

Japanese fisheries were originally an industry born from being surrounded by rich seas, and a culture of "fish-eating" and "Washoku" (Japanese cuisine) centered on fish has been nurtured and developed. Meanwhile, while Norway has positioned marine products as export commodities and worked on them as a national effort, domestic fish consumption is not very active there.

However, Japan has an inherent "fish-eating culture," and even as seafood consumption decreases, sushi is a regular top contender in "rankings of children's favorite foods." On television travel programs, what performers eat with relish is almost always fresh sashimi or fish dishes unique to that region.

Rooted in this fish-eating culture, we fishers have operated sustainable fisheries while protecting the marine resources in these rich seas. I believe the path Japanese fisheries should take is to utilize these resources more effectively in the future so that people around the world seek Japanese marine products even more than before.

Japanese fish-eating culture, including sushi, is recognized by the world, even without citing its registration as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013. There is a significant opportunity for people from all over the world to come to Japan and eat even more fish.

In Japan, fishers all over the country engage in fishing locally and have utilized the landed marine products as ingredients in various forms. Today, branded fish bearing place names, such as "Seki Saba," "Oma Tuna," and "Choshi Saury," are spreading, centered on fishing ports across the country.

Furthermore, the National Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations has developed the "Pride Fish" project to let many consumers know about these seasonal fish that fishers are proud of. To eat these marine products, visitors to Japan may come not only to large cities like Tokyo or famous tourist spots like Kyoto, but also visit the production areas, wondering, "Where did this sushi topping come from?"

In the post-COVID era, I hope visitors to Japan will visit the various shores where fresh fish are landed. And I hope that Japanese people, seeing them find value in marine products, will rediscover the value of eating fish, leading to an expansion of fish consumption among Japanese people as well.

What is important here is the communication of the "culture" of eating fish. By having many people visit fishing villages, we want to broadly communicate the fish-eating and Washoku culture to revitalize those regions. To promote these attractions, we intend to actively collaborate with the tourism industry, restaurants, and chefs.

Furthermore, to protect and develop the fish-eating culture, we want to proceed with various initiatives, such as incorporating local fish into school lunches, teaching children directly at schools, and conveying the deliciousness and preparation methods of fish to their parents.

Currently, countries around the world are paying attention to Japan's fishery resources and coming to waters near Japan to fish. This shows that Japan's seas are a precious asset from a global perspective.

On the other hand, marine resources are decreasing due to complex factors such as changes in ocean currents and rising seawater temperatures. Particularly in coastal fisheries, there is a reality where marine resources are not easily recovering even though fishers are working hard on resource management and marine conservation activities.

Nevertheless, there are resources in Japan's seas, and we fishers must save Japan and the world from food crises by utilizing those resources while protecting them. This is a prerequisite for protecting the fish-eating culture. I want to strongly appeal these points to many people and further enhance the value of the fishing industry's existence.

In the current national Basic Plan for Fisheries, the promotion of "Umigyo" (ocean-based businesses) was positioned for the revitalization of fishing villages. Umigyo refers to initiatives where people in fishing villages utilize the value and appeal of regional resources related to the sea and fishing villages to increase income opportunities. It aims for the development of fishing villages and fisheries by collaborating with industries other than fishing and utilizing regional characteristics, and I believe it holds great potential for turning the fishing and marine product industry into a growth industry.

In my hometown of Choshi City, Chiba Prefecture, we are also conducting activities aimed at regional revitalization centered on offshore wind power generation. The Chamber of Commerce and the Fisheries Cooperative are jointly planning maintenance businesses for wind power generation and initiatives to use fishing boats for visitors to go and see the wind power generation.

Furthermore, according to overseas examples of wind power generation, an increase in benthos (benthic organisms such as sandworms and small shrimp that serve as fish food) and an aggregation effect that attracts fish like an artificial reef have been confirmed around the fixed foundations supporting offshore wind turbines. It is expected that nursery grounds for juvenile fish can be created in conjunction with offshore wind power. It is important for us to cooperate with relevant businesses so that the local fishing industry and the wind power generation business have a win-win relationship.

The reef effect is demonstrated, fishers catch the fish that gather there, and those fish are provided to nearby inns and shops. The electricity needed for such business is covered by wind power generation. I hope this will lead to the birth of a new form of circular industry in the region.

Life in a fishing village is not originally something where one person wins alone. Everyone recognizes each other's value, empathizes, and works together to support it. That is a fishing village centered on the community.

Sustaining the fishing industry also means protecting these rich Japanese seas and nurturing the sustainable lives of fishing villages and the Japanese food culture rooted there. Keeping this in mind, I want to work toward the sustainable development of the fishing industry.