The purpose of this paper is to clarify the significance of maintaining the fisheries in Japan from the viewpoint of food security, and to examine the challenges to the survival of the fisheries. Since the 2000s, consumption of marine products has been on a downward trend in Japan. However, marine products are one of the few foods for which Japan has self-sufficiency, contributing greatly to the country’s food security. In addition, the industry has a smaller environmental footprint than the livestock industry and can supply protein efficiently. As an industry, fisheries can contribute to food security and a carbon-free society, and the importance of maintaining fisheries will increase in the future. However, the fisheries industry in Japan is in a critical situation, with a continuing downward trend in the number of operators and production volume. To realize a future stable supply of marine products as the number of fishing operators continues to decline, the challenge is to increase production per operator. To achieve this, it is necessary to strengthen fishery production capacity, but the prices of production materials are skyrocketing, making it difficult to realize sustainable fishery management. To ensure a stable supply of domestic fishery products, there is a need for support measures to compensate fishery management for production costs.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the historical characteristics of fisheries, fisheries cooperatives and river proprietary fisheries in modern Japan. First, an overview of river fisheries and fishery cooperatives as a whole and secondly historical characteristics of fisheries cooperatives in Takatsu River, Shimane Prefecture are to analyzed. The conclusion is that river fisheries cooperatives are very different from offshore fisheries cooperatives. River fisheries, in particular, are characterized by finite Ayu resources and mainly side jobs, and are weak in fisheries cooperatives and fisheries rights. The Takatsu River Fisheries Cooperative was founded in 1936 and got exclusive fisheries rights in 1938 and reformed fisheries systems and sales services in 1941.
This paper aims to clarify how seafood processing companies involved in the production of domestically-produced processed Mekabu seaweed products overcome the issues faced with domestic raw materials and develop domestically-produced processed Mekabu seaweed products by supporting the commercialization of the various processes of raw material procurement, production, and sales.
Seafood product processing companies responsible for the production of domestically-produced processed Mekabu seaweed products support their commercialization in the following ways. (1) Develop plain products that use domestically-produced Mekabu seaweed features. (2) Secure and store raw materials and products in house for providing a stable supply system (supply annualization and leveling) to mass retailers and commercial customers. (3) Undertake initiatives to improve the quality and freshness of raw materials in cooperation with fishing cooperatives and other bodies. (4) Reduce Manpower and improve productivity/profitability through the mechanization of the production process. (5) Secure stable prices by cost-cutting and negotiating with mass retailers. (6) Strengthen their appeal by developing new products, including private brand products. These continued initiatives by the seafood processing companies may have increased the production of domestically-produced processed Mekabu seaweed products and established them as standard products.
In recent years, the number of buyers involved in the formation of fair price for marine products through auctions etc. at local wholesale markets has been decreasing. Under this circumstance, how is the price formation function of local wholesale market being maintained? This study conducts a survey of wholesale markets in production areas where the number of buyers is decreasing and aims to clarify the actual situation of primary price formation for marine products, especially the measures taken by FCA to maintain their function, as well as their effectiveness and limitations. The results of the survey on the Eguchi FCA in Kagoshima Prefecture showed that the price formation method has changed from auctions to negotiated transaction. It was also confirmed that the share of purchases by a buyer has increased, and it makes difficult to maintain a fair price formation. Under these situations, FCA’s direct sales facility makes inroads as buyer and maintains a competitive environment in price formation. In addition, the facility retails, and wholesales local marine products to customers. However, the total volume of marine products that can be handled in the local wholesale markets has shrunk, the FCA has been forced to respond by production adjustment.
This study has revealed that it has become extremely difficult to maintain the fair price formation function in local wholesale market where the number of buyers has been decreasing. In addition, the importance of replacing the various buyer’s distribution functions by FCA to maintain the price formation function was also clarified.