2020 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 319-331
The aim of this paper was to analyze the history of developing markets and pick-up and shipping activities in seafood distribution by the Nandan Fishermen’s Cooperative. To date, there have been only two middlemen in the Nandan Fishermen’s Cooperative. One Fishing Company S went bankrupt in 2012, and cooperative members became anxious about the depreciation of fish prices due to the loss of that middleman. To counter the fall in prices, the cooperative started a seafood delivery service as a new venture. This allowed the shipment of seafood to a wide area, from northern Kanto to the Kansai region. Markets developing under this system were previously managed by the Fishing Company S. Pick-up and shipping were handled by local people, and seafood transport was managed by Transport Company S, a member of the same corporate group as Fishing Company S. Connecting these activities from the fishing port to wholesale markets enabled the transport of seafood to distant areas.
