Fishing for sustainable profits (May 9)

日本漁業の将来

    The bad news is that the fishing industry, like agriculture and forestry, is plagued by the steady rise in the number of elderly workers. The number of fishery businesses continues to decline, while small coastal fishermen are having a hard time trying to make ends meet.

    Still, fishery products remain a major source of protein for the Japanese people, accounting for 20 percent of the population's overall protein consumption and 40 percent of its animal protein intake. Per capita, Japan is one of the world's largest consumers of fishery products.

    Efforts to promote exports are needed at the private and public levels. Taking the initiative is the Prefectural Council to Promote Exports of Japanese-Brand Agricultural, Forestry and Fishery Products, which was set up in 2003 by 23 prefectures. By the end of last year, 40 of the nation's 47 prefectures had joined the body.

    The council's activities include exchanging information on overseas markets, holding exhibitions abroad and conducting PR campaigns. The export drive is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which has sent market-development missions abroad.

    Export markets include South Korea, China and Taiwan. To increase foreign demand, though, it is necessary to supply products tailored to consumer needs, including products with higher value added. Of course, essentially the same approach is required to boost domestic demand.

    Successful products include akagai shellfish from Sendai Bay, Miyagi Prefecture (used for high-grade sushi), and mackerel from Oita Prefecture. Fishery associations in Nagasaki Prefecture are trying to export a similar type of fish to China.

    Since 1999, exports of fishery products have followed a rising trend, reaching 370,000 tons in 2003, up 20.7 percent from the year before. Export value, however, has remained flat due partly to decreasing exports of expensive items such as pearls.

    Meanwhile, the nation's self-sufficiency ratio for fishery products has stopped falling since it rose 4 percentage points to 57 percent in 2003. Two main reasons given for this are: declines in imports due to a fall in the yen's exchange value, plus good catches of salmon.

    The distribution system has changed markedly, particularly for fresh fish. While neighborhood retail shops are falling on hard times, supermarkets are taking a lion's share — about 70 percent — of overall fish sales.

    The international situation surrounding fisheries has changed significantly. Issues such as fishery compensation are subjects of negotiation at the World Trade Organization, and how to liberalize trade in agricultural, fishery and forestry products has become a key question in talks on bilateral free trade agreements.

    In December, South Korea filed a complaint with the WTO against Japan amid allegations that Tokyo's import quotas for nori seaweed had violated WTO rules. Although a dispute-settlement panel was created in March, it will likely take a long time before a solution is worked out.

    The competitive fishing environment is making it increasingly difficult to expand catches. The challenge for fishery businesses is to pursue profits through "qualitative expansion" by supplying products that better meet consumer needs and preferences.

    The qualitative approach, however, requires the rationalization of operations and cost-cutting. In the long run, though, doing business as usual is not the answer. The future of the fisheries industry depends heavily on ingenuity, such as the development of products of higher value, as well as on the ability to promote exports.

    All this will require stepped-up efforts by fishery groups and the communities involved. There are promising signs, including a successful experiment in tuna culture. Beyond that, industrial-academic cooperation reasonably can be expected to lead to much-needed technological breakthroughs in the fishing industry.

The Japan Times Weekly
May 14, 2005
(C) All rights reserved

      水産業は高齢化が進み、業者の数は減少、小規模沿岸漁業関係者は苦境に立っている。

      しかし水産物は、日本人が摂取する総タンパク質の20%、動物性たんぱく質の40%を占める。

      政府・民間レベルでの輸出振興が求められている。現在は農林水産物輸出促進全国協議会が陣頭に立って、海外市場の情報交換、展示会の開催、PRなどを進めている。

      輸出拡大のためには、主な市場である韓国、中国、台湾の消費者に合わせた商品提供が必要だ。

      水産物輸出は量的には1999年以来増加傾向にあり、03年には前年比20.7％増の37万トンに達した。しかし、金額では真珠などの高額商品が減少しているため伸び悩んでいる。

      水産物の自給率は03年に4％増加して57％と下げ止まった。円安による輸入減少と、サケの豊漁が原因だ。 水産物、特に鮮魚の流通システムは近年大きく変わった。一般鮮魚商が苦闘する一方で、スーパーが鮮魚売上の70％を占めるようになった。 漁業をめぐる国際環境も変化した。漁業補償などの問題は世界貿易機関の交渉事項になり、農林水産物の貿易自由化は2ヵ国間の自由貿易協定交渉の重要問題になっている。

      漁業をめぐる国際競争で漁獲高拡大は難しくなっている。水産業の課題は消費者が求める商品を供給し、産物の質的改善、利益向上を図ることだ。

      長期的に見れば、水産業の将来は高付加価値品の提供、輸出の拡大など創造的努力にかかっている。

      関係団体、自治体などのさらなる努力が求められる。マグロ養殖の成功など明るい話題も多い。産学協同による漁業の技術革新にも期待したい。