This study examines challenges in retaining new fishery entrants and organizational support systems, focusing on Ishinomaki City’s Fisheries Workforce Center Project. As Japan’s fishing workforce declines, strategies for non-heir entrants are essential. Interviews with 15 settled newcomers revealed that while early-stage challenges like interpersonal stress and financial anxiety exist, the project’s multifaceted support—including housing assistance and multi-layered mentoring by cooperatives and coordinators—effectively mitigated these issues and promoted retention. However, long-term economic stability remains a key issue, with many newcomers expressing concern about future income due to insufficient managerial reforms. The study concludes that expanding support to include diversified income sources and business planning is crucial for long-term workforce sustainability.

Since the 2018 Fisheries Act revision, Japan has promoted fisheries management based on quantitative control, highlighting the challenges of collaboration among stakeholders, administrative agencies, and research institutions. To address this, the Fisheries Agency has held “Resource Management Policy Review Committee (SH Meeting)” to foster shared understanding of resource status, management goals, and catch scenarios. Evaluating their effectiveness, participant analysis and text mining of meeting minutes visualized participant composition and discussion characteristics. Stakeholder interests by fish species and stock were clarified, and stocks were classified into three groups. Changes in terminology suggested improved mutual understanding between researchers and stakeholders, enhancing communication.

Interviews and questionnaires were conducted with foreign technical interns in oyster farming, maru-ship crew members, and their respective managers, as well as with individuals who left fishing boat fisheries before completing their technical training period. The purpose of this study was to clarify the actual conditions of acceptance and employment of foreign workers and to compare different cases.

The survey of foreign workers who left fishing boat fisheries before the expiration of their technical training period identified communication difficulties and problems with the working environment as the main reasons for resignation. In contrast, surveys of foreign technical interns and maru-ship crew members in oyster farming showed a high level of job satisfaction in both groups.

These results suggest that improved language support and enhanced cross-cultural understanding will be increasingly important for the employment and retention of foreign workers in the fisheries industry.