Series on Sea and Human Security

Workshop on Food Security

1-6 October 2006, Hiroshima, Japan

Takanori OHASHI
Deputy Director
Office of Resource Management Assistance, Fisheries Agency of the Government of Japan

The State of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Japan

Outline

1. Overview of developments in Fisheries & Aquaculture

Capture fisheries and aquaculture in Japan are of vital importance for food security and for regional economies.
Capture fisheries are more influenced by the migration patterns of targeted fish as well as by the environment. Access
to fishing grounds is generally non-discriminatory. It can provide immediate income and food as long as the means and
the rights of production are available. By contrast, Aquaculture has different features compared to capture fisheries as it
is easier to plan and predict production and secure a stable supply, if it is appropriately managed. The raising of fish
through aquaculture requires both time and money. Capture fisheries production shows a consistent downward trend in
last two decades with an annual output of 12 to 4.8 million tons. Aquaculture production has roughly remained stable
during the last decade, hovering around 1.2 -.1.4 million tones annually. Aquaculture accounts for 30 % of total fish
production in Japan.

2. The Issue Facing Fishers and Aquaculturists

According to a resource assessment conducted in 2006 on major fish stocks in the water around Japan, the levels of fish
stocks are low for more than half of the species or stocks assessed. Rehabilitation of the state of fish stocks within the
EEZ is needed so as to increase fish production while reducing excessive fishing efforts. The aquaculture sector suffers
from the environmental degradation of the aquaculture grounds due to excessive stocking intensity and over-feeding for
increased production as well as from public pollution. Increased imports of seed fish such as yellowtail, have increased
the possibility that diseases could be brought in from overseas.

3. Recent Actions Undertaken

A framework for Resource Recovery Plans was established in 2002. Under such plans, a decrease in the number of
boats, suspension of operations and other fishing restrictions have been imposed, releases of seedlings have been
promoted to enhance fishery resources, and the environment of fishing grounds has been restored and conserved. So far
35 resource recovery plans have been developed and implemented. These plans include measures that have had severe
short-term effects on fishery income. A Saving Income Relief Scheme was available to alleviate the severe fishery
business management. “The Law to Ensure Sustainable Aquaculture Production” was established in 1999. The law
provides a framework to promote secure and sustainable aquaculture. The law includes systems for promoting
voluntary plans to maintain and improve the environment of aquaculture grounds by fishery cooperatives and measures
for the prevention of specific fish diseases. More than 80% of the aquaculture sites in Japan have been under the
control of these voluntary plans.

4. Future Perspectives

Proactive recovery planning is a recent development. Success in this has been limited and many plans are still
underway. Given that recovery will be compromised if environments become unfavorable and that many stocks will
require long rebuilding periods, on-going recovery plans will probably need to be supplemented by large closed area
and technical measures. The quality rather than the volume of aquaculture products are becoming increasingly
prevailing in Japan’s market. Japanese consumers are very concerned with matters related to the use of drugs and
feeding as well as the traceability of aquaculture products. Further efforts will be needed to prevent health hazards and

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 Series on Sea and Human Security
Workshop on Food Security
1-6 October 2006, Hiroshima, Japan

safeguard consumers.

5. Special Issue in the Asian Region

The abundance of larger, more valuable species has declined, while the proportion of smaller fish referred to as “trash
fish,” has notably increased. These trash fish are used directly or indirectly as fish meal in aquaculture. Demand for
these low-value trash fish for this purpose has fuelled increasing pressure on fish stocks. Coastal fisheries in the Asian
region will continue to decline unless excessive fishing capacity and fishing efforts are greatly reduced.

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 State of Fisheries &
Aquaculture in Japan
Management and Enhancement toward the Sustainable Utilization of
Marine Living Resources

Takanori OHASHI
Deputy Director
Office of Fisheries Resource Management Assistance
Fisheries Agency of Japan

State of World Fisheries & Aquaculture

World capture and aquaculture Capture fisheries : top ten producers Aquaculture : top ten producers
production in 2002 in 2002

(million tons) ( million tons) ( million tons) C hile

160 0.5
T hailand N orw ay
N orw ay
2.9 2.7 0.5
140 T hailand V ietnum
R ussia 0.6 0.5 U nited
120 Federation S tates
B angladesh 0.5
3.2 0.8
100
capture India C hine Japan
3.8 0.8
80 16.6

C hile Indonesia
60
0.9
4.3
40
Japan P eru
4.4 8.8 India
A quaculture 2.2
20
C hine
27.8
0 Indonesia
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
4.5 U nited S tates
Source:FAO[FISHERIES STATISTICS] 4.9

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Marine Capture Fisheries & Aquaculture Production in Japan
(T housand tons)
14000

12000

10000

8000

6000
M arine
C apture
4000 F isheries

2000

A quaculture
0
1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 Y ears

The Issue Facing Fishers

Trend of Fish Stock Level Conditions in
Japan’s Water
100%
☆ More than 50% of fish stock or species
H ig h → low level!
80%

M id d le
60%

Over fishing Degradation of

40%
capacity marine
environment
L o w
20%

0%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Stock Level:
The state of main fish stocks or groups of resources
is categorized into high, middle and low levels
according to catch trend and stock condition in last
two decades. For example, North-Pacific sardine Downsizing fish stocks
categorized as high level, given the annual harvest of
more than 1.5million tons until the early 1990’s.Now it
is categorized as low level given the recent drastic
decline of harvest of less than 0.1million ton.

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Global Trends in the State of Marine Fisheries Resource 1974-2004

The Issue Facing Aquaculturists

Fish Disease Excessive stocking

Density

Public
Pollution Feeding of “Raw fish”

Negative Impact on

• The marine environment

• Quality & safety of the aquaculture products

• Consumer’s confidence

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 The Basic law on Fisheries Policy in 2002

・Basic principles of the law

①Securing a stable supply of fishery product
②Sound development of fisheries
③Establishment of Basic Plan for Fisheries Policy
(for necessary measures to implement the principle ①&②)

･Target of Self Sufficiency Rate for seafood :56%(1999)→66%(2012)

･Establishment of Resource Recovery Scheme (Capture Fisheries)

･Establishment of the “Law to Ensure Sustainable Aquaculture Production”

(Aquaculture)

Recent Action
Establishment of Resource Recovery Plan (RRP)
Wide-Area Fisheries Coordinating Committee
(Sub- Wide-Area Fisheries Coordinating Committee)

Consideration of the need of RRP

Fishermen’s Council
Discussion of the draft of RRP

Approval
Resource
Management
Development of RRR by national or regional government
Planning Officer
・Target of Recovery Level/A Period of Implementation/Methods of Fishing Effort Reduction

Monitoring

Implementation of RRP

Fishing Effort Reduction Active Resource Enhancement Fish Habitat Restoration

・Scrapping/Days-off fishing ・Release and management of fry ・Marine forest/Sea bed cleaning

･Mandatory measures by using Total Allowable Effort

･Saving Income Relief scheme

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 Key Elements of Resource Recovery Scheme
Functional Aspects of the Resource Recovery
Scheme Management area of a Wide-Area Fisheries
Coordinating Committee (WAFCC)
Local Fishermen
The principal decision makers
Sea of Japan-North
Sub-com
Sea of Japan･Kyushu-west WAFCC
Fishermen’s Wide-Area
Council FCC
Substantial work Consideration, Sea of Japan-West
for the development approval & monitoring Sub-com
of RRP of RRP
Pacific-North
Sub-com

Resource management
planning office Kyushu-West
Sub-com
A consensus builder Pacific-South
Sub-com

Seto-Inland Sea WAFCC

Resource Recovery Plan

Pacific WAFCC
TAE Saving Income
Relief Scheme
Avoiding the substantial
increase of fishing efforts Compensation for definitive Regional Fisheries Coordinating Office
by setting the number of or temporary loss of right
fishing boats, days, tow or economic

Outline of Saving Income Relief Scheme

Decreasing Fish stocks

Significant
Over-fishing capacity
Economic worse

Inducing Fishers’ Support

Proactive Action •Reduction of fishing fleets
No support…
•Business maintenance

Development of a Poor economic condition

Resource Recovery Plan coursed by Income decrease
=

Implementation of Inactive action

Reduction of
Development of a Plan Fishing fleets and Support…
of Operation for of the Day-off
Reduction of Fishing Fishing Alleviation of poor economic
Capacity condition
=

Proactive action
Evaluation of the
outcome & finding
and Feedback Recovery/Increase Stock sustainability
of Fish stocks Economic viability

Ensuring Stable Seafood Supply

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On-going Resource Recovery Plans

1 Sand lance
2 Barfin flounder 5 Littlemouth flounder,
Sailfin sandfish
3 Flatfish
6 Puffer,conger,etc.

7 Red snow crab

8 Flathead flounder

9 Spanish mackerel

11 Little neck

12 Clam
13 Spear squid

14 Puffer
15 Clam

Wide-Area species
Local species

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 Future Perspectives (Capture Fisheries)

☆ Past experience (FAO) shows that recovery has been successful,

→ 46% of the case for groundfish.
→ 67% of the case for pelagic fish.
→ 71% of the case for invertebrates.

☆ Recovery of groundfish will require rebuilding period of 15 years or more, and

probably need to be supplemented by large closed areas & technical measures.

☆ Elaboration of post recovery management to avoid significant new increase in effort.

☆ Incorporating aspects of recovery planning into routine.

Recent Action

The law to Ensure Sustainable Aquaculture Production

Seeks to prevent the self-induced environmental deterioration around aquaculture ground.

Aquaculture Ground Improvement Programs

• Voluntary program by fishermen’s cooperative
• Approval by the relevant prefectural government under the
guidance of the Law

Ensuring Sustainable Aquaculture Production

Sound Development of Aquaculture

&
Stable Supply of Seafood in a safety & reliable manner

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State of the on-going Aquaculture Ground Improvement Programs

The number of established program has

Contents of the program
reached 340, covering 38% to 84% of
1. Target Levels of Improvements Aquaculture production volume.
- DO, TS, Mortality rate, etc.
Participating Coverage
Prefect
Planned Fisheries
ures
2. Measures to be taken Cooperatives Fish Shellfish Seaweed

- Rearing density, type of feeds, 22 340 400 83.6% 38.0% 61.4%

treatment of dead fish, etc. ※）coverage(%) = Production volume in the program site / overall aquaculture
production volume

3. Monitoring of the Environment

- Water temperature, DO, benthic
organism, etc. Trend of the quality of the Aquaculture grounds at
a certain of place in Ehime Prefecture
0.55
4. Institutional arrangements 0.50

mg/g Dried mud

- Standing committee for ensuring 0.45
0.61
0.40
Implementation & Monitoring of the 0.35 0.30
0.30
on-going programs. 0.25
0.20
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
※) the volume of volatile sulfurized materials at the bottom of the
sea

Rational Use of “Feeds” (Transfer to compound feeds)

• Waste ratio of compound feeds has been drastically decreasing, as compared to that raw fish.
• 56% of aquaculture feeds accounts for compound feeds.

Waste ratio of aquaculture feeds Compound feed production (powder, solid)

Yellowtail Snapper 180,000 80%

160,000 Compound 70%
Raw fish 140,000
70% 42% for yellowtail 60%
(minced) 120,000
50%
Raw fish 20～30% 100,000
tons

40%
80,000
Compound 60,000
30%
15～20% 5～15%
feeds (moist) 40,000 20%

Compound 20,000 10%

>3% 0 0%
feeds (dry)
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004

Regulation on feeds Powder Solid The ratio of sorid to compound

• A standard of ingredients for main feeds & its

additive under “The Law to Ensure Safety &
improve Quality of Feeds”.
• Regulation on the use of antimicrobial agent in the
feeds.
• A standard of ingredients of nutrition of feeds.

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 Fish Disease Control

1.State of the Fish Disease Occurrence

•Downturn trend of fish disease damage while Outline of the Scheme
complicated fish disease occurrence.
• Increasing possibility that the diseases are Importers
brought from overseas, due to a movement to
diversify aquaculture species. Application for a Permit

•Increasing virus resistant to veterinary drugs. Examination

Permit No Permit
2. Fish Disease Control Scheme The
The scheme aims to prevent the spread of fish Ministry of If necessary
disease through imports of marine animals for Agriculture, Isolation & Observation in
use in aquaculture or propagation of stocks. Forest and a given period

Fisheries Suspicious of
of Japan the Disease Condition under
Recent Damage Caused by Fish disease the Permit
Investigation
Production Production Estimated (B) / (A)
Year (Volume) (Value) damage
thousand tons Thousand tons
Billion yen (%) Identification of
(B) No Infection
(A) Identification of
Infection
1999 329 3,390 227 6.3
2000 321 3,182 130 3.9 Disposal

2001 321 2,862 134 4.5

Distribution
2002 322 2,694 108 3.8
2003 326 2,693 90 3.3
2004 310 2,563 - -

Future Perspective

☆ Sound Market Research & Export Promotion Policies

The needs of consumers : introduction of new labeling requirements, traceability,
chemical residue.
☆ Improving the aquaculture sector’s public image & Gaining consumer confidence

Consumers’ concern : proper use of veterinary drug, traceability, labeling for its origin,
improvement of aquaculture grounds.

Consumer’s Field Trip Study group / Program

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 Emerging Issues
☆ Capture-Based Aquaculture (CBA)
• Practice of collecting “seed” material from early life stages to adult from the wild, and its
subsequent on growing to marketable size in captivity, using aquaculture techniques.
• Direct competitor of capture fisheries.
• High mortality rates in the transfer of seed to CBA farm.
• Conflict with other resource users.

Legal & institutional instrument recognizing CBA as a distinct sector!

☆ “Trash Fish”
•Changes in the composition of fish resources : larges, more valuable species
toward smaller, lower market value species .
• “Trash Fish” used as feed for aquaculture & CBA.
• The amazing amount of landed “Trash Fish” .
• Targeting “Trash Fish” aggravating the over-fish problem.

Change the current feeding practice!

Thank you for your attention!

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