Japanese Fishing Industry Essay Example for Free

Japanese Fishing Industry Essay The fishing industry in Japan is considered to be one of the several primary industries along with other sectors such as agriculture and forestry. These sectors employed about one-third of the Japanese population and also provides food for millions of Japanese people. Japan has one of the largest numbers of fishing boats compared to other countries. Many people residing in villages that lie along the Japanese coast have fishing as their main occupation. The Japanese fishermen tend to fish in shallow sea waters. Most of the village fisherman own small boats and function independently. The coastal fishing occupation adopted by traditional Japanese fishermen tends to supply about a quarter of the fish required by the country. Offshore fishing provides more than 50% of the fish and deep-sea fishing provides about 25 to 30% of the fish required by the country. Large Japanese fishing corporations employ thousands of Japanese fishermen, use modern ships, and utilize sophisticated fishing techniques. These ships can hold more than 100 tons of fish, compared to 10 tons carried by local fishermen. Most of the fish caught by the Japanese fishermen and fishing corporations tend to be consumed by the local population. Besides deep sea fishing and costal fishing, the Japanese also harvest fish from fresh water (such as lakes and rivers) and also breed fishes in fish and shrimp farms. Fishing as an occupation was taken up by 1. 5% of the Japanese population. This figure declined to 0. 4% in 2000. Ever since the severe energy crisis in 1973, the deep-sea fishing industry in Japan has seriously suffered. In the 1980’s, the offshore fishing industry experienced a number of up and downs. The Japanese demand for imported fish has increased in recent years (it was 3. 1 million tons in 1999 and rose to over 5 million in 2002). The country is trying to meet a 10 million ton demand annually. 2. Describe the cultural significance of fish to the Japanese society. Fish forms a very important part of the Japanese cuisine. About 70 kgs of fish is being consumed by one Japanese individual in a year. Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish that contains fillings made of seafood. The fish meat may be raw, cooked, marinated or blanched. Vegetables, mushrooms, rice, eggs and even meat form an important part of the dish. Japanese restaurants that dispense Sushi through conveyor belts have become popular. Sushi is placed in a color-coded plate to suggest the rate. Sushi had been originally developed as a process of preserving seafood. There are more than ten to fifteen thousands restaurants in Tokyo that serve Sushi. Usually fresh fish is used to prepare Sushi, as it is consumed raw. The Japanese have also begun to domestic various varieties of fish especially the Koi for ornamental purposes. The tattoos and designs on the Koi fish are considered to be lucky in Japan. Traditional Japanese gardens contain ponds with a number of Koi fish in them. 3. Give statistics of amount of fish consumed, harvested. Over fishing? Fish is considered to be a staple diet of the Japanese, and a source of proteins. Fish has traditionally been a Japanese dish, and the UN-FAO considers that the Japanese consume about 30% of the World’s fish. In fact, the most fish consumed by any country in the world is Japan. The per capita consumption of fish per individual is about 70 kgs. Some of the fish commonly consumed by the Japanese include bright-red sea bream (kinmedai), swordfish, tuna, shark, sardines, mackerels, sperm whale, shell fish, squid, scallops, octopus, puffer fish, shrimp, etc. The Japanese fishing industry collect about 10 million metric tons of fish every year (1992). China catches about 17 million metric tons of fish every year, but that is because it is the most populated country in the World. In 1984, the catch of fish peaked at about 13 million metric tons, but dropped to half that number (6. 4 million metric tons) in 2000. In recent years, fish caught close to the Japanese coasts have been found to be contaminated with toxic substances. Besides, the catch of fish is also decreasing. The Japanese health ministry in fact has warned Japanese pregnant women to reduce consumption of fish. The Japanese feel that commercial whaling should be permitted due to these developments (commercial whaling has been banned since 1986). The demand of fish has decreased in Japan, and the rates have fallen by over 40%, because the people fear consuming fish. The Japanese consider survey demonstrating the quantity of mercury and other poisonous substances present in the fish. 4. Give examples of issue’s Japan has with it neighbors about fishing rights. The Japanese have several issues regarding rishing with their neighbors, such as China, Korea and Russia. The main problem lies in the fact that the Japanese consume about a third of the World’s fish harvested. The demand in the domestic market is so high that it has become a common practice to trespass upon the fishing territories of other countries. The Sea of Japan is considered to be an active fishing zone by Korea and Japan. The UN convention adopted a Sea Law in 1994, which provided an exclusive economic zone of 200-nautical miles to each country, and sovereignty over 12-nautical miles. The imaginary border lines in the sea between both the countries had been ignored, and hence triggered off serious fishing competition in the 1990’s. The natural fishing resources were so extensively exploited such that it could not be restored. The fishing agreement between the Japanese and the Koreans (1965) was being eliminated in 1998, after the UN developed its ‘Laws of the Sea’. International ties were being ruined between both the countries because they had destroyed the natural resources. The issue had to be urgently sorted out before the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Both countries agreed to follow the 135 degrees East longitude as the boundary. They also agreed to reduce the number of ships and the amount of fish caught in their neighbor’s exclusive zone.