KASAHARA: JAPANESE DISTANT-WATER FISHERIES 



Japan Fishery Association (Daisui) generally 

 represents the interest of larger fishing com- 

 panies engaged in offshore and distant-water 

 fisheries. It is often represented in important 

 international fishery negotiations. It develops in- 

 dustry policies on international fishery problems 

 and also deals with specific disputes. It also ar- 

 ranges for long-term, low-interest loans for the 

 development of distant-water fisheries. The 

 present chairman of the association is one of the 

 most experienced Japanese in international fish- 

 ery negotiations. 



National Federation of Fishery Co-operatives 

 (Zengyoren) provides nationwide representa- 

 tion for Japanese fishery co-operatives. Two of 

 the main areas of activity are the procurement 

 and distribution of duty-free diesel oil and fish 

 marketing, but the federation is involved in in- 

 ternational fishery negotiations from time to 

 time. 



Federation of Japan Tuna Fishery Co-opera- 

 tives (Nikkatsuren) is the most powerful asso- 

 ciation for Japanese tuna fisheries, participated 

 in by tuna and skipjack vessel owners through 

 their local cooperatives,"" and is involved in most 

 of the international negotiations concerning tuna 

 fisheries. Together with Zengyoren, the feder- 

 ation signed the Banda Sea agreement with In- 

 donesia. The federation is making an effort 

 to restrengthen the Japanese tuna longline fish- 

 ery with substantial success. It buys in when 

 the market is weak. It has been campaigning 

 for increased domestic consumption of the tuna 

 species that have been mainly exported, result- 

 ing in an appreciable increase in the consumption 

 of canned albacore tuna. It has promoted con- 

 sultations with the tuna industries of South 

 Korea and Taiwan. It plans to institute vol- 

 untary restrictions, mainly closed seasons, on 

 fishing for southern bluefin tuna (in effect as of 

 October 1971). It compiles the most complete 

 statistics of the longline fishery available in 

 Japan. 



^^ Tuna operators not eligible to cooperative member- 

 ship under the Japanese fishery cooperative law, mainly 

 companies operating large tuna boats, are organized 

 under the Japan Tuna Fishery Association (Nikkatsu- 

 kyokai). Nikkatsuren and Nikkatuskyokai always work 

 together. 



Federation of Japan Salmon Fishery Co-op- 

 eratives (Nikkeiren) represents salmon catcher 

 boat owners and is mainly concerned with catch 

 quotas for the mothership salmon fishery and ne- 

 gotiations with mothership owners for profit 

 sharing (formerly for selling prices). There 

 are also associations representing such other 

 salmon fisheries as the land-based drift-net fish- 

 ery and the land-based longline fishery. 



National Federation of Medium Trawlers rep- 

 resents bottom trawl fisheries in waters east of 

 long 130°E, including the category called "Ho- 

 kutensen" (see page 233). As the importance 

 of "Hokutensen" increases, the association is 

 now concerned about the condition of the pollack 

 stocks in the northern areas (Kamchatka, North 

 Kuriles, and Bering Sea) on which the entire 

 fishery is based. 



Japan Trawler Fishery Association repre- 

 sents trawl fisheries (largely by pair trawlers) 

 in the China Sea. They have been concerned 

 with problems with South Korea and the People's 

 Republic of China. 



Japan Deep-sea Trawlers Association repre- 

 sents companies operating large distant-water 

 trawlers, and has been active in negotiations 

 with Mauritania (Chairman of the association 

 served as the Japanese chief delegate). It has 

 made arrangements for exploratory trawl fishing 

 for new grounds, and has engaged in planning 

 the production of pollack minced meat ("sur- 

 imi"). 



Except the first two mentioned in the above 

 list, these associations represent the interests of 

 specific fisheries and provide a convenient means 

 of communication between the government and 

 industry in connection with international nego- 

 tiations involving such fisheries. 



IMPACT OF JAPANESE FISHING 



The expansion of the Japanese and Soviet 

 fisheries has caused more international fishery 

 problems than any other single factor. To be 

 fair, some credit should be given to these two 

 nations for their contribution towards develop- 

 ment of new fishery resources all over the world. 

 Japan and the Soviet Union, for example, have 

 developed new resources in the Bering Sea and 



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