In recent years, fish welfare is emphasized in aquaculture. Swimming speed of farmed fish is one of the important indicators of fish behavior. A powerful tool to measure the fish swimming speed is Biologging, which requires attaching data-logger to fish. Therefore, there are two concerns- the fish swimming speed may change due to drag force, as well as the fish is injured. On the other hand, Stereo Camera is a tool to measure the fish swimming speed, without surgical procedures. However, it has not been widely employed yet as a huge time and effort for detecting and measuring fish position from video analysis by manual operation is required. Furthermore, comparative evaluation study of stereo camera with existing methods is necessary. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the precision of measuring method of fish swimming speed using a stereo camera, where the video analysis is processed under automatic operation. A propeller-logger was attached to a single yellowtail for the experiment, and then released into an experimental fish tank. The experimental measurement duration was 2 hours. The fish swimming speed was measured by the logger every second. We also employed a stereo camera equipped with AI, which consists of image recognition, 3D measurement, and state-space model tracking, to obtain the fish speed. Result of fish swimming speed measured by stereo camera was 0.52±0.14 ms⁻¹ (Mean±SD). Comparison of the fish swimming speed of these two methods shows that the difference is within 0.1 ms⁻¹. Although this study was carried out in a fish tank, the future study is expected to be carried out even under wave condition, by compensating for fluctuations with the inertial measurement unit inside the stereo camera. This study indicates that the stereo camera is an efficient tool for measuring the fish swimming speed.

This study examined the importance of information accessed via the Production Area Electronic Information Network (PAEIN) within digitalized wholesale fisheries markets. Additionally, it investigated variations in information importance across different user attributes. Participants included sorting workers, jobbers, and longshoremen among PAEIN users. The information available in PAEIN were fishing condition information (13 items), incoming vessel information (11 items), and market price information (12 items). Users were asked to rate the importance of these items of information. A questionnaire, distributed on February 3, 2024, aimed to identify crucial information for users, with data collection completed by March 1, 2024. Out of 101 distributed questionnaires, 29 valid responses were analyzed. Results revealed that users can be classified into four classes according to the information they consider important. Analysis of the characteristics of the four classes revealed that the importance of the information differed among users, particularly with regard to the brand of fish, the date and time the carrier vessel return to port, the planned landing port, fish brand, and the number of fish boxes or containers per fish brand. Variations in information importance were attributed to the characteristics of jobbers who dealt with which type of dealers and whether the jobbers traded outside the Matsuura fish market.

The 2024 JSFE Fall Symposium “Issues in Reconstructing from Large-scale Disasters in Fisheries Infrastructures and Fishing Villages” was held on 29 November 2024. At the symposium, there were two sessions after the introduction on the outlines and purposes of this symposium. In the first session, four resource persons gave presentations regarding current status and problems of fisheries infrastructures caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, and then other four resource persons gave presentations regarding issues or lessons-learned in the restoration and reconstruction process from previous large-scale disasters. In the second session, we had a general discussion about issues regarding recovery from large-scale disasters in fisheries infrastructures and disaster prevention measures against large-scale disasters in future. This paper reports the outlines of the 2024 JSFE Fall Symposium by symposium organizers.

The 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake caused damage to 72 (around 90%) of the total 81 fishing ports (including fishery related ports) in Ishikawa prefecture. In the Noto-Sotoura region, fishing ports suffered serious damages by ground uplift on seabed. In the Noto-Uchiura region, damage on fishing ports by Tsunami in addition to the earthquake itself was observed. As temporary countermeasures, emergency repair works have been implemented to prevent expanding damage from spreading and to resume fishing operation, and full restoration will be carried out when ready. In addition, for authentic restoration of fishing ports, Ishikawa prefecture established the Reconstruction Council on March 25 for accelerating restoration and reconstruction of damaged fishing ports, and the Reconstruction Council compiled the Reconstruction Policy on fishing ports on August 30, 2024. Hereafter, restoration works of fishing ports have been implemented step by step based on this Policy to restart and continue fishing operation at available fishing ports, and to resolve problems for sustaining fisheries and rebuilding fishing communities from a viewpoint of mid-to-long term.

This paper presents a case study of the application of new technical equipment and facilities (new technology) using ICT in relation to damage surveys and the preparation of assessment design documents on disaster recovery projects for fishing ports damaged by the Noto Peninsula earthquake. In particular, the paper describes the advantages and disadvantages of using UAVs for on-site surveys in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, and the problems including future prospects founded from surveys using various new technologies and from the case studies using the acquired data for the preparation of the necessary data of subsequent disaster assessment.

The Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1, 2024 was magnitude 7.6 with a maximum seismic intensity of 7. This earthquake and Tsunami that accompanied it damaged many fishing port facilities. The earthquake also caused ground uplift of more than 4 m, mainly along coasts facing the Sea of Japan on the western side of the Noto Peninsula, making it difficult to operate fishing boats due to insufficient water depth, even if the facilities themselves were not damaged. This report focuses on fishing ports where the Noto Peninsula earthquake caused ground uplift, and describes damage situations, issues and problems by damage, emergency countermeasures taken for the early resumption of fishing operations, and ideas for full restoration.

The ground uplift caused by the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake made seaweed beds along the Wajima coast dry up, resulting in the death of a large number of organisms growing there. In addition, environment of bottom sediment and remained seaweed beds deteriorated significantly by fine-grained mud deposited mainly in the area around the mouth of the river from July onward, 2024. This mud was caused by the inflow of land-based sediment into the coastal area due to heavy rainfall, and it is highly likely that the damage was exacerbated by the fact that numerous landslides that occurred around rivers at the time of the earthquake were not repaired until the rainy season. Furthermore, flood damage from the Oku-Noto Torrential Rain occurred in September of the same year. The full extent of the damage to seaweed beds has not been known yet, but it is clear that this flood caused damage to seaweed beds extensively, because large trees, rubble and other debris as well as mud flowed into seashores and accumulated in large quantities.

More than 13 years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, which caused unprecedented damage mainly on the Pacific side of the Tohoku region. At the time of the disaster, the coastal areas of Miyagi and Iwate prefectures were severely damaged by the tsunami, but various measures have been taken to date for recovery and reconstruction, and the fishing industry and related industries have recovered to a certain level. However, there have been delays in the progress of related industries during the process of recovery and reconstruction, and this has had an impact on the recovery of the fishing industry, which affects the livelihood of the fishermen. This report traces the process from immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake to the present, paying particular attention to the relationship between the fishery industry and related industries such as the distribution and processing industries in the background, and examines the impact of the degree of progress in the recovery and reconstruction of related industries on the regeneration of the fishing industry. It will also be presented as a subject for further discussion on the challenges of reviving the fishing industry as a livelihood, with a view to possible large-scale disasters in the future.

When we take a general look at recent large-scale disasters and the progress of fishing village reconstruction, especially with a focus on the Great East Japan Earthquake, we can find a decline in vitality of fishing villages, increased ambiguity in the definition and scope of fishing villages as targets for reconstruction, and the importance of external support. Meanwhile, in the case of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, peculiarities of small scale and isolation at individual villages and the problem of financial resources for reconstruction are added to the above-mentioned issues. Reconstruction of fishing villages after large-scale disasters is similar to general urban development, as accumulated processes from discussion to consensus building of plans with resident participation affect post-event satisfaction. Furthermore, special attention should be focused on discovering and implementing optimal specific solutions, because there are no general solutions, and characteristics of fishing villages and extent of damage are diverse.

The Noto Peninsula Earthquake, which occurred on January 1, 2024, caused extensive damage to fisheries communities in Japan. The experiences gained and lessons learned from this disaster and subsequent recovery efforts must be utilized to enhance future disaster prevention and mitigation measures for fisheries communities. This paper introduces the “Guidelines for Creating Disaster-Resilient Fisheries Regions”, which summarize the experiences and lessons from past disasters, including the Great East Japan Earthquake and other disasters affecting fisheries regions. It aims to raise awareness of the necessary measures that fisheries communities should undertake to prepare for future disasters.

This report summarizes recovery goals based on damage and situation for the four large-scale disasters that the author has experienced (the Central Japan Sea Earthquake (May 1893), the Nagasaki Fishing Port Disaster (August 1987), the Southwestern Hokkaido Earthquake (July 1993), and the Great East Japan Earthquake (March 2011), and considers the challenges in achieving each goal. In addition, while each disaster has different characteristics, there are many commonalities in the disaster phenomena and recovery process, so efforts have been made to conceptualize these. As part of this, the Fisheries Agency has formulated the “Guidelines for Creating Disaster-Resilient Fisheries Regions” (March 2023, Fisheries Agency) to summarize disaster response guidelines. In addition, the author’s past papers on disaster recovery and reconstruction along with this guideline were trained by AI, to analyze situation, goals and problems of each disaster at that time, and then to propose challenges and solutions to be considered.