Catch {Thousands of Metric Tons) 



A 



O Total® 



D Total Trawler Catch 

 □ Northern Trawlers 

 Total Tuna Catch 

 mother Trawlers 

 QSquid Jigging* 

 BTuna Purse Seine 

 BTuna Pole-and-Line 

 LJTuna Longliner 

 DOriftnet-Squid 



1 980 1 985 1 986 1 987 1 988 1 989 1 990 1 991 

 Source; The Ministry of Agriculture. Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan, 'Squid jigging statistics 

 include coastal and ott-shore jigging until 1990 ® Total figures do not equal total figures for 

 distant-water fisheries in Appendix D because other minor distant-water fisheries are excluded 



Figure 2. Japan. Dtsiant-waier fisheries calrh, hy vessel type: I9H5-91. 



hokuten. southern, and shrimp. Trawlers in the first 

 three classifications fish almost exclusively in the 

 waters of the Nortli Pacific. There is also a Nortli 

 Pacific longliner fleet which primarily targets cod in 

 Russian Federation waters. The longline fleet will be 

 discussed in this section because its primary target 

 species, like its trawler counterparts, are groundfish. 



Northern trawlers: These are defined as those 

 distant- water trawlers which fish in an area north of 10 

 degrees north latitude, and east of 170 degrees east 

 longitude in the waters of the Pacific Ocean (including 

 the Bering Sea). In 1980, 40 trawlers were licensed 

 by the Japanese Government under this classification, 

 but this number decreased to just 12 trawlers in 1991 

 (appendix G). Northern trawlers are tlie largest of the 

 distant-water Japanese trawlers, with a minimimi 

 capacity of 500GRT. Until 1989, tlie.se vessels 

 primarily conducted surimi trawl operations in joint 

 ventures with U.S. companies and on the high-seas 

 region of the Central Bering Sea known as the donut 

 hole. Witli the elimination of tlie U.S. joint venture 

 quota in 1990, these vessels fished solely in the donut 

 hole fishery. Catch statistics show that northern trawl 

 catch was composed almost entirely of Alaska pollock, 

 especially in recent years (appendix H). 



Trawling operations conducted by major Japanese 

 fishery companies once comprised a sizeable portion of 



northern trawler fishing activity, but tliis fishery seems 

 to be one whose time has passed. Four of the six 

 major Japanese fishery companies (Nichiro, Kyokuyo, 

 Hoko, and Hosui) have completely withdrawn from 

 trawling. The other two major companies, Nissui and 

 Taiyo, have drastically reduced their trawling 

 operations. Nissui currently operates 8 trawlers and 

 Taiyo operates 5 trawlers, all of which are deployed in 

 southern trawl fisheries.' 



Tlie majority of the Japanese northern trawl fleet 

 has been exported or redeployed to other fishing 

 grounds (appendix 1). At least four nortliern trawlers 

 have been exported to Argentina, and two have been 

 exported to China. Other northern trawlers have been 

 exported to Somalia/Honduras,' tlie former Soviet 

 Union/Russian Federation, Cyprus, India, and die 

 United States. Another five northern trawlers are now 

 operating in southern trawl fisheries. Tlie prime reason 

 for this shift in effort was the collapse of the donut 

 hole Alaska pollock stocks and tlie realization among 

 large Japanese fishery companies that large factory 

 stern trawler fishing operations were becoming 

 increasingly unprofitable, mainly because of rising fuel 

 and labor costs. 



Converted trawlers (Tenkan): These trawlers are 

 defined as those distant-water trawlers which fish in an 

 area norUi of 50 degrees north latitude, and east of 170 



28 



