KASAHARA: JAPANESE DISTANT-WATER FISHERIES 



large vessels. The only major fisheries which 

 do not fall in this category are the saury and 

 squid fisheries, which are regulated by separate 

 ordinances." Measures to further control the 

 operation of the designated fisheries are provided 

 in policies for licensing which are issued by the 

 Ministry from time to time. Licensees of each 

 of the designated fisheries are obliged to submit 

 reports of their operation according to the for- 

 mat specified by the Minister. 



In short, practically all important Japanese 

 fisheries are strictly controlled by the central 

 government under the licensing system. The 

 administration of fisheries under this system is, 

 of course, subject to pressures from diflferent 

 groups in the industry, including large fishing 

 companies, vessel owner associations, and fish- 

 ermen's associations, but changes in fishery pol- 

 icies are brought about only through this cen- 

 trally controlled system. The system is also 

 eflfective in accommodating such changes as the 

 government and industry consider necessary for 

 meeting new international developments. It is 

 also responsible for the coexistence of many dif- 

 ferent types of fishing operation for catching 

 the same species. For example, the present pat- 

 tern of Japanese trawl fishing in the North 

 Pacific, which employs all types of trawl gear 

 and vessels of enormous size range, could not 

 have developed without continuous manipulation 

 of the system by the government under pres- 

 sures from various sources. 



REVIEW OF SELECTED HIGH SEAS 

 FISHERIES 



Most of the important Japanese fisheries are 

 conducted on the high seas as defined by Japan. 

 This review includes only those which have had 

 or are likely to have international problems. 

 Table 1 compares the catches (round weight) 

 of such fisheries. Some of them, particularly 

 trawl fishing by medium vessels and purse sein- 

 ing, are basically coastal, but they too have in- 

 ternational implications in relation to the fish- 

 eries of Korea, China, and the Soviet Union. 



" These fisheries are still not subject to strict limited 

 entry, but saury vessels and larger squid boats must be 

 approved by the Minister and thus are subject to var- 

 ious regulations established by the central government. 



1 Longline and pole-and-line (excluding catches by vessels smaller than 

 20 gross tons). 



2 Not including the China Seas, 



^ Other than tuna longline fisheries. 



* Including inshore and coastal fisheries, as well as collection of clams 

 (weight with shell) and seaweeds. 



^ Including oysters (with shell) and seaweeds. 



Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Japan) (1971). 



TRAWL FISHERIES 



Developments in the Prewar Period 



A wide variety of fishing operations can be 

 found even within one technical category, trawl- 

 ing. The coastal waters of Japan are crowded 

 with a vast number of small draggers employing 

 a great many diflferent types of gear; over 800 

 Danish seiners and nearly 200 pair trawlers 

 operate on the continental shelf and slope around 

 and near the Japanese islands; a few otter 

 trawlers and about 670 pair trawlers fish in the 

 East China Sea (including the Yellow Sea) ; a 

 fleet of motherships and factoryships, with trawl 

 catchers of various types, is sent to the Bering 

 Sea and the northeast Pacific, and a large num- 

 ber of independent trawlers to waters oflf Kam- 

 chatka and the northern Kuriles; many large 

 stern trawlers operate in the Bering Sea and the 

 northeast Pacific, as well as in West African 

 waters; an increasing number of Japanese 

 trawlers are found in the Atlantic waters oflf 

 North America; and a few vessels trawl in 

 waters oflF New Zealand and South Arabia. A 

 brief review of historical sequences of develop- 

 ment of trawl fisheries in Japan will help one 

 understand how such a complicated pattern has 

 emerged in this particular sector of the industry. 



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