ISARIBI NO.73

ISSN1346-2512

NO.73, MAR. 2012

Japan
Fisheries
Association

Sankaido Bldg.,
9-13 Akasaka 1, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, Japan 107-0052
tel: 81-3-3585-6683
http//www.suisankai.or.jp

Views and Opinions of Japan’s Fisheries Industry

ICFA Resolution

ICFA calls on the international society for the eliminationof rootless negative rumors on seafoodfrom the disaster area in JapanT

he International Coalition of Fisheries
Associations (ICFA), an international nongovernmental organization, called on the U.N.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to help
eliminate rootless negative rumors on seafood from theeastern and northern areas of Japan severely affectedby the great earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.
ICFA submitted to the FAO the ICFA Resolution to
Support Restoration of the Japanese Seafood Industry
Affected by the Mega Earthquake and Tsunami,
adopted at its annual meeting in Rome on October 6,
2011, and asked for cooperation for the restoration offisheries in Japan.
The resolution was delivered by ICFA Executive
Secretary Alastair Macfarlane to Mr. Arni Mathiesen,
Assistant Secretary General of the FAO Fisheries andAquaculture Division at the 13th Session of the SubCommittee on Fish Trade of the Committee on Fisheries(COFI), held February 20-24 at Hyderabad in India.
During the FAO Sub-Committee session, referenceswere made to the ICFA resolution. Some Contracting
Parties requested the FAO for the provision of scientificinformation and the propagation of CODEX guidelines
so that consumers can be informed of objective
information.
Following is the full text of the resolution.

and northern Japan in March 2011 and has caused
tremendous damage to a vast area, particularly to thefishing communities in the affected area.

ICFA Resolution to Support Restoration of theJapanese Seafood Industry Affected by the
Mega Earthquake and Tsunami* I C FA w a s e s t a b l i s h e d i n 1 9 8 8 a s a n o n g ove r n m e n t a l o rg a n i z a t i o n h av i n g f i s h e r i e s
associations of fishing countries as members.
At present, major fishing nations from all thecontinents, except Africa, are its members. Its
stated mission is to ensure conservation of theoceans and maintain fisheries based on the basic
concept that the oceans are the major source offood for mankind. Its concrete activities include
pursuing understanding and support of the positionof the fisheries industry at various international fora,
by consolidating the position of the fisheries industry
in member countries.

The International Coalition of Fisheries Associations(ICFA) met on 5-7 October 2011 in Rome. ICFA
members heard a presentation on post-tsunami,
earthquake and nuclear disaster recovery efforts by theJapanese government as well as seafood industry.
The International Coalition of Fisheries Associations(ICFA) recognized

The nuclear accident caused by the earthquake andtsunami has also affected the industry particularly in
relation to the concern on safety of products including
seafood.
Despite safety of the fish guaranteed by the Japanese
authorities concerned through monitoring and inspections,sales of the seafood have decreased drastically due torootless negative rumors.
ICFA, therefore:
Supports restoration of the Japanese seafood industry
by cooperating in dissemination of information to users
of seafood of the world, so that they have a correctunderstanding of the situation regarding the safety of theJapanese seafood.
Requests and urges the FAO to continue to communicate
with each member country regarding the safety ofJapanese seafood.

The mega earthquake and tsunami devastated eastern
ISARIBI: First published by the Japan Fisheries Association in October 1992.
JFA President: Toshiro Shirasu; Editor: Masashi Nishimura

ISARIBI NO.73

MAR. 2012

Seafood Expo Osaka

9th Osaka Seafood Show attracted a record number ofparticipants-- Visitors also showed a substantial increase from last yearT

he 9th International Seafood & Technology Expo,
Osaka--the largest seafood show in western Japan—
was organized by the Japan Fisheries Association
February 14-15 at the ATC Hall in Osaka.
A total of 210 major firms occupying 204 booths
participated in the show from the Kansai area centering
on Osaka, and other western Japan areas. This marked
the largest number of participants in the nine expos held
so far. About 85 firms made their first entry in the show.
During the two-day period, a total of 13,473 visitors
attended, which largely exceeded the 11,489 visitors to
the previous expo in 2011. Active business negotiations
took place.
About 1,100 items of seafood and fisheries-related
equipment and technologies were exhibited, including

seafood, seasoning, processing and distribution
equipment, hygienic control equipment and sushirelated merchandize.
In the show, held under the slogan “Restorationof Fisheries in Japan from Osaka,” 13 companies
participated from the northern Japanese prefectures
severely affected by the earthquake/tsunami last March.
On behalf of the organizer, JFA President Toshiro
Shirasu expressed the strong hope that the message for
expanding seafood consumption spreads from Osaka, alarge commercial city known for its vital food culture.
In the JFA booth, panels were exhibited andpamphlets were distributed on JFA’s assistancefor promoting fish consumption and encouraging
employment in the fisheries sector. The JFA handed
out to visitors a considerable number of pamphlets
introducing various species of fish, the cooking methods
and a JFA exam to test knowledge on fish.
During the show, various seminars were held
concurrently, such as “Sushi Expo 2112,” “How to serve
more delicious sashimi,” and “Useful suggestions forcooking fish with a microwave.”
In parallel with the expo, a Special Learning Session
on Fish for elementary school pupils was held by
the JFA’s Fish Diet Promotion Center in a building
adjacent to the expo site, in which about 150 children
participated. The pupils attended the seminar to study
about fish, observe fish in a mobile aquarium and also
visit some booths in the show. The seminar rooms werefilled with lively voices of children who found the joy ofknowing about fish.

MEL Japan booth at Osaka Expo

MEL Japan NewsMEL Japan is gradually gaining wider consumer
acceptanceM

arine Eco-label Japan (MEL Japan), the firstmarine eco-labeling scheme in Japan launched
in December 2007, has been steadily gaining
wider consumer acceptance through publicity activities
including press releases, various demonstrations andevents. Following are major developments relating to
MEL Japan in recent months.

1. New product with MEL Japan logo developed
JF Jusan Fisheries Cooperative in Aomori Prefecture,northern Japan, which obtained MEL Japan certification,
has developed a new product "common freshwater clam
shucked meat plus extracts." Amid increasing consumer
attention in recent years on the health effects of common
freshwater clam ingredients, including ornithine, thecooperative intends to appeal the product for a widerange of use. It carries with it the logo of MEL Japan--aPage 2

ISARIBI NO.73

MAR. 2012

symbol that ensures the product is friendly both to theresources and the environment.
The new product contains two packs--one with 25
grams of shucked shellfish and another with 50 gramsof clam extracts. Rice dishes for five persons can beprepared using a pack each of clam meat and extract.
The product is priced at Y1,050 and can be preserved
frozen.

4. Participation in the Supermarket Trade ShowMEL Japan participated in the 46th Supermarket Trade
Show 2012 held at the Tokyo Big Sight Feb. 1-3. Visitors to
the show numbered 84,360. MEL Japan publicized, in two
booths, its certified fisheries and their products, centeringon the sampling of seafood from the Jusan Lake common
freshwater clam fishery, the sandlance boat seine fisheryin Aichi Prefecture, and the distant-water skipjack pole-

2. Sampling and sales of skipjack tuna caught by
distant-water pole-and-line fishery
Sampling and sales of skipjack caught by distantwater pole-and-line fishery, which received MEL
certification, were conducted on December 6 and 9
at Ishihara Suisan Marine Station in Yaizu, Shizuoka
Prefecture, west of Tokyo. Products such as first-gradebrine frozen skipjack, "tataki" (half grilled) products
using skipjack and albacore tuna, and medium-classalbacore "toro" (fatty part), all with MEL-Japan labels,
were displayed in ice cases. Cooking staffers at Shizuoka
Prefecture's Seafood PR Division were engaged in
the preparation of this event. The organizers hope topromote skipjack caught in this fishery at supermarkets
and other retail outlets in the days ahead.
MEL Japan booth at Tosa Fish Festival

3. Five types of MEL-certfied fisheries publicizedat 2nd Tosa Fish Festival
The 2nd Tosa Fish Festival was held on January 22 at
Kochi Port in western Japan. At the MEL Japan booth on
the festival site, the secretariat publicized five types offisheries in Kochi Prefecture--skipjack trolling, alfonsino
driftnet, alfonsino angling, alfonsino hand-line (usingfeather jig), and mackerel vertical longline.
This event targeting ordinary consumers was aimed
at expanding the consumption of seafood producedin Kochi Prefecture. According to Kochi government
officials, more than 4,000 people, including children,
visited the event site.
At the MEL Japan booth, about 300 serving samplesof spotted mackerel sashimi taken by a MEL Japancertified fishery were distributed. Sampling was very
popular with the visitors. To children, balloons with the
MEL-Japan logo were handed out.

Half-grilled skipjack

Campaign at Sunshine Supermarket

A variety of seafood displayed for sale

Mackerel sampling

Page 3

ISARIBI NO.73
and-line fishery. Enthusiastic questions were posed bymany potential buyers about MEL Japan products and its
certification program.

5. Mass retailer in Kochi gives publicity to
MEL Japan
Sunshine Co., a mass retailer doing business mainlyin Kochi Prefecture, western Japan, publicized MEL Japanon Jan. 29 at its three sales outlets in the prefecture.
The Kochi Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative Association,
which obtained MEL Japan certification, organized thesales campaign fair in cooperation with retailers in theprefecture. At the fair, sashimi of alfonsino and spottedmackerel were offered for sale. Expectation was highthat this fair would prompt mass retailers to market
these two species.
A similar fair is scheduled to take place on March
24-25 at Marui Westland, a mass retailer in Okayama
Prefecture near Osaka. Publicity of MEL Japan's programand certification process (using panels, leaflets, a DVD
demonstration, and other materials) is planned at thisevent.

Topics
JFA sets up fish consumption
promotion network to boost fish dietin JapanThe Fish Promotion Center of the Japan Fisheries
Association launched its “Let’s Eat Fish Network”
in February this year with a view to collectinformation on ways to boost fish consumption andstrengthen cooperative relations among people related
to the seafood industry.
In a press conference on February 8, JFA Managing
Director Toshinori Saito expressed the hope that thisnetwork serves “to coordinating various efforts we havebeen making so far to promote the fish diet in Japan.”
The network is composed of internet communications
and job coordination, with the registration of various
parties promoting fish consumption, ranging fromproduction, processing and consumption. Fisheriesorganizations, and companies as well as schools andconsumer organizations became members. On February
15, the network mailed its first online magazine toregistrants with topics on fish diet.
Saito explained that “although there is need for an
increased fish diet, consumption has not yet been
so much activated in Japan. As reasons for the slow
growth in fish diet, consumers tend to consider fish
expensive and not easy to handle. The idea to establish
this network has been promoted since the center was
established last year.”
It is possible for registrants to send their requests
and information regarding the fish diet promotion
project. The organizer of the network hopes to establish
cooperation among participants such as on educational
activities at schools and cooking institutions and torequest assistance at seafood sales sections of mass-

MAR. 2012
retailers.
Marine Eco-label Japan (MEL Japan) also will take partin this undertaking. The center will promote activities forboosting the fish diet in Japan in cooperation with thecampaign group, Food Action Nippon.
In June the JFA intends to organize the first symposium
on seafood consumption for the members of the network.

OECD official says global seafood
value-chain is undergoing a drasticchangeC

arl-Christian Schmidt, Head of the Fisheries
Policies Division of the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD) Trade andAgriculture Directorate, delivered a lecture in Tokyo in
February under the theme of “Globalization of Fisheries
and Aquaculture.”
The lecture session was organized by the ResearchInstitute of Natural Capital at the Japan Fisheries
Association’s conference room, with the cooperation of
the Japanese government’s Fisheries Agency.
In the lecture, Schmidt pointed out that the value-chainof seafood is now undergoing a drastic change worldwide
as demand for seafood has been enlarged on a global
scale and seafood trade liberalization has been advanced.
He cited concrete instances of ongoing globalization in
all the sectors of fisheries, aquaculture, processing anddistribution. Along with this trend, producers and retailers
are expanding their business scale through corporate
integration, increasing their influence on the global
distribution of seafood, he said.
Based on this observation, Schmidt suggested thepossibility that various issues will come to the forefront
in the days ahead, including trade tariffs on seafood,government subsidies to the fisheries sector, resource
management, and certification of seafood that could
constitute non-tariff trade barriers.
He reported that the OECD is now undertaking ananalysis on how government financial assistance, suchas fisheries subsidies and preferential taxes, will impact
fisheries resources.
There will be varying degrees of impact by fisheries
subsidies depending on whether resource management isbased on total allowable catch (TAC) and other regulatory
measures.
The results of the OECD analysis will likely be taken into
account in the process of negotiations on seafood trade at
the World Trade Organization (WTO), Schmidt said.
In the question-and-answer session that followed
the lecture, Joji Morishita, counselor of the Japanese
government’s Fisheries Agency, commented that the OECDis an ideal forum to address various issues pertaining tofisheries because it can undertake calm and objective
analysis with no conflicts of interest among countries
because it does not itself manage catch quotas nor makebinding decisions through voting.
Morishita thus expressed the hope that the OECD plays
a leading role in making a breakthrough on various issues,
unlike the WTO where there are conflicts of interest
among member countries.

The readers are cordially invited to send their comments on articles in this issue to mnishimu@suisankai.or.jp--Editor