large neon flying squid (akaika), which are found in 

 loose aggregations throughout (lie North Pacific. In 



1991, 454 vessels ranging from 50-500GRT were 

 licensed for this fishery (appendix P). Only the 

 Japanese tuna longliner fleet exceeded the size of the 

 driftnet fleet at this time. At its peak in 1990, the 

 driftnet squid fleet supplied over 25 percent of Japanese 

 squid (appendix Q). 



Only 12 percent of this fleet was devoted 

 exclusively to squid driftnet fishing in 1991 (appendix 

 R). The majority of vessels in this fleet were also 

 participating in other fisheries (e.g. billfish driftnet, 

 saury) during the off-season for the squid driftnet 

 fishery (appendix S). 



In the wake of United Nations General Assembly 

 Resolution 46/215, which declared a moratorium on 

 high-seas pelagic driftnet fisheries effective on January 

 1 , 1 993 , tlie Japanese Government began to formulate 

 plans to acconmiodate Japanese fishermen affected by 

 the driftnet ban. One plan involved the initiation of 

 exploratory squid jigging in tlie high-seas squid driftnet 

 fishing ground. Tlie exploratory fishery was 

 unsuccessful, however, averaging a squid catch of less 

 than one ton per day of fishing per vessel. Tliis 

 amounted to less than one-fifth of the squid caught 

 during the same period by a driftnet vessel. The 

 Govermnent also conducted exploratory fishing in this 

 ground with mid-water trawling gear, but with 

 disappointing results.* In light of these discouraging 

 results, the Japanese Govenunent devised a 

 compensation program for the former driftnet fleet. 



The Japanese Government will offer compensation 

 to high-seas squid driftnet vessel owners for three years 

 (1992-94) and to owners of high-seas large-mesh 

 driftnet vessels (used primarily in the tuna/billfish 

 fishery) for one year (1992) (appendices T and U). 

 Squid driftnet vessel owners, retiring their vessels in 



1992, could receive $0.55-1.12 million, depending on 

 vessel toimage. Large-mesh driftnet vessel owners who 

 retire their vessels in 1992 could receive compensation 

 in the range of $500,000-870,000, depending on vessel 

 toimage.'^ 



The Fisheries Agency of Japan aimounced in April 

 1993 that it would grant permission for exploratory 

 squid jigging on the high-seas of the North Pacific 

 between May 1 and December 31, 1993.'" This trial 

 fishery is being established primarily for those fonner 



driftnet fishermen who received government 

 compensation only for the disposal of their driftnet 

 gear. The jigging vessels will fish in the same area as 

 the former Japanese driftnet fleet (from 20 to 47 

 degrees north latitude, from 170 east degrees longitude 

 to 133 degrees west longitude) and will be equipped 

 with satellite transponders. The FAJ expects 

 approximately 20 vessels to participate in this fishery. 



D. Distant-water Salmon Vessels 



The history of the Japanese distant-water salmon 

 fishery predates World War II when Japanese vessels 

 caught salmon off the coasts of the former Soviet 

 Union and the United States. The war caused the 

 temporary cessation of the Japanese distant-water 

 salmon fishery, but it resumed in 1952." Japanese 

 distant-water salmon vessels fished in U.S., Soviet, and 

 high-seas waters under condidons set forth by the 

 International North Pacific Fisheries Commission 

 (INPFC) until the late 1980s when Japan stopped 

 receiving salmon allocations from the United States. 

 Japanese salmon vessels lost access to North Pacific 

 high-seas fishing grounds in 1993 when this fishery 

 was closed under the Convention for tlie Conservation 

 of Anadramous Stocks in the North Pacific Ocean, tlie 

 successor convention to the INPFC. Japanese distant- 

 water salmon vessels currently have access to Russian- 

 origin salmon in Japanese waters and salmon in the 

 Russian EEZ (see Section VII - Access to Foreign 

 Fishing Grounds). The two primary Japanese distant- 

 water salmon fleets are the non-traditional land-based 

 and traditional land-based fleets. 



Non-traditional land-based: Vessels in this fleet 

 were formerly called "niotherships. " These vessels 

 were owned by large Japanese fishery companies and 

 had a capacity of 7,000-12,000GRT each. They 

 worked in conjunction witli affiliated catcher vessels to 

 can and freeze the salmon caught by the catcher 

 vessels. With increasing international regulation of 

 high-seas salmon fisheries, this fishery became less and 

 less economically viable and was converted in 1990 to 

 what is presently called the "non-traditional" land-based 

 salmon fishery. It was given this name to differentiate 

 it from the traditional land-based small/medium-sized 

 salmon gillnet fishery. 



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