Development of Ayu fry Supply and Ayu Culture Industry in Shiga Prefecture

Abstract

This paper analyzed the regional development of the supply of ayu fry caught in Lake Biwa and ayu culture industry in Shiga Prefecture. Ayu fry became supplied for the whole country by the Shiga Prefectural authorities after 1930. The industry in Shiga was started by local fisherman who served as distributor in the latter half of the 1930s, and rapidly developed during the high economic growth period in Japan. However, since the oil crisis in the 1970s, the industry was forced to reduce production costs. Ayu culture in Shiga thus declined by the high production cost due to inferior water conditions. Recently, Shiga’s ayu fry lost its market share because of the spread of bacterial coldwater disease.