ISARIBI NO.49

ISSN1346-2512

JapanFisheries
AssociationNO.49 March 2006
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
Whaling Issue

Voices of African Countries on the Whaling Issue
In the meetings of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), African countries have not had
an equal opportunity to participate because of the language barrier. They are, however, increasingly
making their own efforts to ensure their right to speak. ISARIBI introduces voices of the Africancountries, which have not been heard adequately in these meetings. They are demanding the IWC
Secretariat to give them an equal opportunity to participate in the discussions at the next Annual
Meeting to be held in St. Kitts and Nevis from May 23, 2006.

African countries’ Argument:
Expensive fish is exported to rich countries, whileother fish consumed by a large number of marine
mammals (dolphins and whales) is detrimental to theAfrican people.
Following are two important points in support of theabove argument advanced by the leaders of the AfricanGroup, such as the Minister of Fisheries andAquaculture of the Republic of Guinea at the 2002
Millions of Africans are starving

Annual Meeting in Shimonoseki, Japan, and theMinister of Animal Production and Fisheries Resourcesof the Ivory Coast at the 2004 Annual Meeting inSorrento, Italy. At the 2005 meeting in Ulsan, Korea,
several African commissioners (Mauritania, Senegal,Guinea, Ivory Coast, Benin, Cameroon and Gabon)
unanimously emphasized the vital importance for theircountries of the principle of sustainable use of marine
living resources including whales.

(1) In many African countries
millions of people aresuffering from starvation or
famine even today. Such aphenomenon is closely related
to the general deterioration of
the environment which putsin jeopardy the human habitat
through global warming anddesertification, thedisappearance of rain forests,
and meadows and pastures
rendered to wasteland. All
these elements lead to theobvious lack of animal
protein for the local
population. Now that we arereaching the limit of land
exploitation, it is our obligation
to pay more and more
attention to marine living

ISARIBI: First published by the Japan Fisheries Association in October 1992.
JFA President: Isao Nakasu; Editor: Masashi Nishimura

ISARIBI NO.49

MAR. 2006

resources.
In African coastal countries, in effect, we areimproving our production of fish by concentrating ourefforts to the fisheries sector. Expensive species areexported to the markets of developed countries (USA,EU and Japan) while local inhabitants must be content
with the small pelagic species (mackerel, horsemackerel, sardine, etc.) which can be harvested in large
quantities. But the fact that we witness very often,
along the coastline of our continent, appearances of alarge number of cetaceans including dolphins makes
us easily imagine that the resources of these small
pelagic species are partly but steadily consumed bythose cetaceans. In order for us to get rid of such anegative impact by whales on our fish resources, it isurgent to implement a series of research programs.
For this purpose, only Japan is helping us effectively
for the time being (i.e. cetacean research programsby means of sighting surveys off the coast of West
Africa, in particular the Republic of Guinea).

(2) In case the research discovers and proves thenegative impact of whales on fish resources, we would
like to reserve our right to catch whales in a sustainable
manner for ourselves and our future generations who
might have the necessity of exploiting whale resources.
If we can rationally use certain abundant resources ofwhale species which eat so much fish, we can kill two
birds with one stone: we can protect fish resources
against the attacks by whales and we can get direct
benefits from whale products.

Importance of lowering the language
barrier for assuring fair discussions in IWC
meetingsThe above mentioned progress of the African
delegates has been made thanks to their better andclear understanding realized by means of translation.
Up until 2 years ago, in all the meetings organizedby the IWC one was supposed to speak English, andEnglish only. The Secretariat did not provide any
simultaneous translation service which is usuallyconsidered as a formal obligation for international
meetings of UN specialized organizations such as theFAO and its related regional commissions (ICCAT,IOTC, CCAMLR, etc.)
Why? Because the IWC was established inapplication of the International Convention for theRegulation of Whaling, signed in 1946 by the leading
whaling countries at that time who were mainly English
speaking countries, so no claims were made as to thechoice of the official working languages.
For decades since its establishment, the IWC member
countries were not aware of the problem of linguistic

Anchovy found in the stomach of a Brydes whale(Photo: The Institute of Cetacean Research)handicap. They thought it was natural to impose
English only as a working language to all therepresentatives gathering mainly from developedcountries.
In recent years, many developing countries whose
mother tongues are not English joined the IWC as fullmembers. Some commissioners of these new member
countries became conscious of the seriousness of thelanguage barrier. They asked the IWC Secretariat tofacilitate the mutual communication among its
participants by installing equipment for simultaneoustranslation services in this modern Tower of Babel.

Time for French, at least, to be an Official
Language
At present, we count 10 French speaking countries
from Africa as members of the IWC deprived of fairparticipation.
Last year in Ulsan, the African Group called
experienced Moroccan interpreters to work as
simultaneous interpreters at the IWC meeting.
Obviously, their contribution was so great that almost
all French speaking delegates could enhance the qualityof their argument, because they could understand muchbetter the discussions in course and thus express theirproper opinions with all the logical articulations and,sometimes, very intricate nuances.
The French Commissioner seemed to have promisedthat from the next year’s meeting (2006) the French
Government would make a substantial contribution tosupport the efforts of the African Group. This wasvery good news finally obtained after many years ofnegotiations between this Group and France.
Since the beginning of its participation in 2000, theAfrican Group repeatedly asked the FrenchCommissioner to comply with the tradition of French
diplomacy (as is defined by the doctrine of General
De Gaulle) which consists in spreading the Frenchlanguage and culture all over the world, keeping a safe
distance from the Anglo-Saxon’s sphere of influence.

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ISARIBI NO.49

MAR. 2006

Ja panesearch Prog r ampan’’s W hale RResearesearc
ProIs Leg al ActivityActivity
Leg—Sustainable Use NGO Rebuts Greenpeace’s Criticism—The Beneficiaries of the Sea Coalition, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) promoting
sustainable use of marine living resources,
rebutted Greenpeace’s criticism of Japan’s whale
research catch programs in an open letter addressed
to Jun Hoshikawa, the new secretary general ofGreenpeace Japan.
In the letter, sent under the name of its President,
Kunio Yonezawa, the Coalition said that the obstruction
activities by Greenpeace, in cooperation with the Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society, against Japan’s whale
research fleet in the Antarctic during this past December
and January was “an act of violence putting thelives of crewmembers at risk and of illegal
terrorism going beyond the boundaries ofordinary protest.” “It was a despicable act—one thatwas criticized even by the Australian Environment
Minister who is known for his active anti-whalingposition,” it said.
In an earlier press conference, Hoshikawa stressed
that, in its protest activities, Greenpeace gives firstpriority to not causing any risk to human lives but also
said that Japan’s whale research program “cannot gainthe understanding of the international society.”
The Coalition disproved those remarks as being far
removed from the truth. It said that the results ofJapan’s research have been highly valued by whale
scientists throughout the world. At present manymembers of the International Whaling Commission(IWC) are working for an
early completion andimplementation of theRevised Management
Scheme (RMS), a riskaverse scientificmanagement system
ensuring sustainable use ofwhale resources, and thecountries supporting theRMS will eventually gain amajority at theYonezawa
Commission. Japan’s
research is a fully legal activity complying withArticle VIII of the International Convention for
the Regulation of Whaling. It is carried out inaccordance with international law, including thefreedom to engage in scientific research as
stipulated by the United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The Coalition said that the Greenpeace
representative’s remarks are misleading as they ignore
the present work and trend in the IWC. The scale ofJapan’s research will have no direct impact on thepopulation of whales and the environment.
Greenpeace’s assertion is nothing but a scientificfantasy. The Coalition advised that it would be moreeffective for Greenpeace to tackle more serious
problems of the world, such as global warming.

FAO Fisheries Official Hopes
Japan Will Promote Responsible Fisheries

Ichiro Nomura, Assistant Director General of theFisheries Department of the United Nations Foodand Agriculture Organization (FAO), delivered alecture under the theme of “the present state of world
fisheries and aquaculture and the role of the FAO” ata meeting of the Japan Fisheries Journalists’
Association in Tokyo on December 20, 2005.
In the lecture, Nomura outlined the world’s fisheries
on the basis of the “State of World Fisheries andAquaculture” (SOFIA 2004) developed by the FAO.
He explained about the FAO’s organization andactivities and expressed the hope for Japan to assume
a greater role in promoting responsible fisheries andaquaculture.
Specifically, Nomura stated that the FAO Fisheries
Department is: (1) promoting responsible fisheries andaquaculture to ensure food supply in the world; (2)developing the Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries and International Plans of Action to achievethat goal; and (3) collecting and analyzing information
regarding the world’s fisheries and aquaculture.
Nomura noted that coastal fisheries in Japan presenta model case of responsible fishing practices over along span of time as an example of communitymanaged fisheries. They can provide a showcase forthe development of responsible fisheries throughout
the world, he said.
Regarding distant-water fisheries, he expressed thehope that Japan, as a responsible high seas fishingnation, will continue to fulfill its leadership through suchforums as the Organization for the Promotion ofResponsible Tuna Fisheries (OPRT), regional fisheries

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ISARIBI NO.49
management organizations and the FAO Committeeon Fisheries.
(Note: OPRT was established in 2000, representing
all stakeholders in tuna fisheries, including major tunafishing organizations around the world, traders,distributors and consumers in Japan, the world’s largest
sashimi tuna market. OPRT’s objective is to contributeto the development of responsible tuna fisheries inline with international and social responsibility, as wellMAR. 2006
as to promote the sustainable use of tuna through thecooperation of all stakeholders. Its first major projectis to work toward the elimination of IUU tuna fishing.
OPRT has extended the scope of its work ensuring
responsible tuna fisheries by addressing other issues,
such as excessive fishing capacity and the incidental
catch of sea turtles and seabirds. (For more information,visit www.oprt.or.jp)

Household fresh fish demand in Japan
likely to ffall
all to a rrecor
ecor
d low
ecord
low
likel
ely

D

emand for fresh fish for household use in Japan
has been on a continuous decline, very likely
hitting the record low level this year. According
to an estimate based on a survey on household finances
conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs andCommunications, the amount of fresh fish purchased
per household is likely to fall below 40kg a year, thelowest level since the survey started in 1975.
In the course of this time, a decrease in the birthrate and a decline in the number of extended family
households has led to a record low of 3.14 persons
per household in October 2005. This pushed fresh fish
demand per household member down to the lowest
level. According to analysts, this downward trend
reflects the increasing number of people who do notbother to cook fresh fish at their homes even though
they know that fish is good for their health. If thistrend persists, the scale of the market for fish forcooking could dwindle even further.

Cooking fish at home should be thebasics of a fish dietindustry observers argue that increases in demand for
HMR and the restaurant industry are offsetting thedecline in household demand. However, the shift indemand from household cooking to HMR andrestaurants could, in the longer range, lead to a decline
in demand for fishery products as a whole because
home cooking skills and the techniques to judge thequality of fish at the time of purchase are not handed
down to the next generation.
The downward trend shows an average value for all
age groups. Seen in terms of the age composition of
the heads of households, decline is conspicuous among
relatively young people.
There exists a persistent view that ordinary Japanesepeople may return to a fish diet when they get older.
But this applies only to middle-aged and elderly people
who accustomed themselves to a fish diet in their youth.
It may not necessarily apply to young people who have
had a lower exposure to cooking fish at home. Someanalysts point out that there is no way of returning to afish diet if one is not accustomed to eating fish fromchildhood. In this respect, declining opportunities of
cooking fish at home may prove critical in maintaining
the tradition of a fish diet.

In contrast to the continued shrinkage of demand
for fresh fish for household use, demand for fish forthe so-called “homemeal replacement”
Household Consumption Expenditures and Purchase of Fresh Fish
(HMR), such as
Expenditures (yen)Purchase of Fresh FishHousehold
prepared foods andmembers
totalfoodfish
amount (g)value (yen) 100g unith o m e - d e l i v e r e d 1975
3.89 1,895,786 649,887
90,39260,43654,569
90.29
80
3.82
2,766,812
867,393
121,51555,93872,324129.29sushi, is increasing.
85
3.71 3,277,373 957,528 130,100
52,56475,481143.60
Also demand for the90
3.56 3,734,084 1,030,125 134,482
47,304
77,979164.84
restaurant industry
952.42 3,948,741 1,024,518 126,332
47,841
76,086159.04
remains firm, helped
2000
3.24
3,805,600
972,424110,147
43,63467,367154.39by the spread of
1
3.22
3,704,298
943,313106,101
42,50864,339151.36family-type2
3.19
3,673,550
940,040
104,141
43,88964,158146.18
restaurants serving
3
3.21 3,631,473 923,295
98,47542,327
60,239142.32
Japanese foods as
4
3.19 3,650,436 919,970
94,80940,91857,487140.49well as fast-food5
3.14 3,612,567 907,337
92,382
39,642
55,527140.07
sushi restaurant
The 2005 figures represent cumulative total for Jan-Oct plus values for Nov-Dec 2004.
c h a i n s . S o m e Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
The readers are cordially invited to send their comments on articles in this issue to mnishimu@suisankai.or.jp--Editor