Significance and Challenges of Fishing Village Revitalization in an Era of Shrinking Population

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the meaning and problems of fishing village revitalization in an era of shrinking population.　In the beginning, this paper examines the significance of the fishing industry’s existence on the future trends of the populations of coastal municipalities.　Next, using Hokkaido and Nagasaki Prefecture as examples, this paper analyzes the sustainability of fishing villages using a geographic information system（GIS）.　This paper also introduces advanced cases of fishing village revitalization.　Based on the above results, this paper examines the significance and problems of fishing village revitalization in an age of population decline.

Japan’s population is decreasing and it is inevitable that secondary and tertiary industries, which are determined by population size, will shrink in the future.　However, the size of the fishing industry is independent of population size and it is possible to maintain the size of the fishing industry even if the population decreases.　In fishing villages that are experiencing population decline, fisheries, which support society and the economy, will become increasingly significant in the future.

As a future task for fishing village revitalization, it is crucial to improve fishery income amid a decrease in the number of fishery operators and thereby to secure new fishery workers.　Therefore, fishing villages, which are the basic units of fishing rights and cooperatives, should proactively work on their revitalization.