ISARIBI NO.45

ISSN1346-2512

JapanFisheries
AssociationNO.45 March 2005
Sankaido Bldg.,
9-13 Akasaka 1, Minato-ku,
Tokyo, Japan 107-0052
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Views and Opinions of Japan’s Fisheries Industry

More Attention Should Be Given tothe Nutrional Value of Fish than the Harm
—Scientist Advises at JFA Symposium—T

he Japan Fisheries Association (JFA) organized asymposium in Tokyo on October 15, 2004, under
the theme “Assessment of the merits and risks of afish diet.”
At the symposium, Dr. Hiramitsu Suzuki, Chief of thePhysiological Function Laboratory of the National Food
Research Institute, delivered a lecture, in which heemphasized that the risks fromfish, including those fromaquaculture, are minimal, andmore attention should be directedto the high nutritional values offish rather than its potential harm.
He noted the rumors goingaround that fish containmethylmercury and that a large
amount of fish consumption
could pose a risk to health. It istrue that methymercury could
cause disorder in brain nerve
functions, and human embryos
are especially susceptible to its
effect. Very few studies have been carried out in Japan on asmall amount of methylmercury despite Japan’s experienceof causing Minamata disease, he said.
Overseas, a survey was conducted in the Faroe Islandson the exposure to methylmercury and neurological status.
The relation between methylmercury exposure and brain
functions was studied for 182 babies in those Islands, andit was reported that greater exposure to methylmercury

would cause more deteriorated brain functions. However,these findings were not published in authoritative medical
journals that examine survey results rigorously. Therefore,
the data of the survey are not easily accessible. In a similar
survey carried out in the Seychelles, where there is an active
fish consuming culture, no evidence was obtained thatmethylmercury negatively affects brain functions. Rather,
it was found that children
consuming fish more frequently
were healthier and had welldeveloped brains. This finding has
been published in a medical
journal.
There is a need to point out thatfish and shellfish have numerous
nutritional and functional
components which by far surpassthe concerns over the negative
effects of methylmercury. Wellknown components in fish oil are
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) andeicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), but
methylmercury coexists with them because it has fat soluble
characteristics. Fish also contain large quantities ofselenium and taurine which may weaken the mercury toxicity.
It is a predominant view among experts that methylmercury
increases oxidation stress to brain tissues. Selenium has
reducing-effects on the peroxidase activity, and mercury
and selenium reciprocally function to reduce the degree ofpoisoning. It has been proven that DHA acts on brain cell

ISARIBI: First published by the Japan Fisheries Association in October 1992. JFA President: Isao Nakasu;
Editor: Masashi Nishimura; Editorial Assistance: Yoshinari & Associates,Inc.

ISARIBI NO.45

MARCH 2005

membranes. However, a new theory has been presented that
DHA captures active oxygen. DHA itself is oxidized, andwhen oxidized, it is removed from the brain, and lowers theamount of peroxide in the brain. Taurine also functions tonot only suppress the oxidation but to reduce the toxicity ofchemicals.
Methylmercury tends to cause functional disorder in thebrain when it is consumed continuously at a high frequency
and in large doses over a long term range. However, it is notclear whether it results in poisonous consequences when it

is consumed at a low frequency and dose. Dr. Suzuki statedthat he can not find enough scientific evidence forregulatory values adopted by various countries. The
findings obtained from the survey in the Faroe Islands werebased on epidemiological research. It could provide a hint
as an initial-stage survey. However, its legitimacy needs tobe validated through animal and human experiments.
His advice at this stage is to give greater attention to themerits of fish than the risks of methylmercury in fish.

Science for Sustainable Management or Not
By Nualanong Tongdee

It sounds perfectly reasonable that people living indifferent geographical areas of the world, having
different available resources, would come up with totallydifferent ways and means of living. These differences havegenerated, and accumulated over the years, and are clearlyreflected in their lives
and culturalcharacteristics. It’s
therefore notsurprising why people
in large nourishingland areas tend to basetheir living on
a g r i c u l t u r a l
production, those withplentiful natural
resources try their best
to use what they have,a n d t h o s e l i v i n g i n i s l a n d resource-scarce areas
depend a great deal on harvesting marine resources.
Fish and the JapaneseJapan is probably among those countries with the mostunique and longest tradition in utilizing marine resources.
Surrounded by the sea on all sides, fisheries have beenprospering here since olden times. Even at present, Japan is
one of the world’s most prominent fishing nations, and thebiggest importer of fishery products as well. However,Japan’s huge demand for fish has been blamed as the major
cause of over-exploitation and depletion of global marine

fisheries resources. In response to this, and with a view toensuring that all the resources be conserved and contributeto the well-being of future generations, Japan is now seeking
the best way to sustain the utilization of these resources,and believes that the best way to do so is to use ‘scientificinformation and knowledge’ as the basis for any
management decisions and plans.
Whaling - a big debate
Within the past several decades, ‘whaling’ has been oneof the very important environmental conservation issues whether and to what extent it should be allowed or not - a
debate over absolute protection or sustainable utilization.
Whaling has a very long history in many nations. In Japan,
it started in olden times, when most of the harvests werefully utilized, whether they be for food or other purposes.
People in other parts of the world also developed their own
whaling traditions and utilization. However, in the earlytwentieth century huge amounts of whales had been
harvested by western nations mainly for oil, resulting in a
sharp decline in whale populations. For this reason, theInternational Whaling Commission (IWC) was establishedin 1948 with a view to managing the utilization of whale
resources. However, a few decades later, whaling for oilbecame no longer profitable, and there arose increasing
voices to protect the whales; thus in 1982, the IWC, by the
majority of anti-whaling nations, adopted the moratoriumon commercial whaling, which prohibited harvests of alllarge whale species. The moratorium on whaling is still valid,
although many scientific research results have clearly

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ISARIBI NO.45

MARCH 2005

shown that populations of many whale species are abundantenough for sustainable utilization.
Whether whales should be fully protected or some highly
abundant species can be used sustainably has developed
into a heated debate. Some claim that whales are valuablespecies for mankind and therefore hunting them is very
cruel. On the other hand, some scientists tell us how these
top predators compete with human beings in utilizing marine
resources. These arguments can continue for a very longtime to come until we come up with an agreement.
Conservation vs. Utilization - their impacts
to the ecosystem
It should be kept in mind that not only over-harvesting,but also conservation of particular resources cause an
imbalance in the ecosystem. Absolute protection ofparticular species increases their population, and in the caseof those highest in the food chain, it may end up causing
damage to the whole ecosystem and the survival of otherspecies. Scientific information should therefore be fully
investigated and utilized to ensure effective yet practicalprotective measures for the whole resource complex in theecosystem.

process makes people different in many ways although they
live on the same planet. These differences should therefore
be recognized and acknowledged as the greatest benefit
for humankind as they diversify the use of world resources
and thus provide human beings with better chances forliving.
It is hoped that one day, people would finally come up
with the answer to the question of what should be the bestsolution to ensure the balancing between conservationand sustainable utilization - not only for whales, but also
fisheries and other resources for the generations to come.
(This article was written by Ms. Nualanong Tongdee,
Information Officer of SEAFDEC, during her training
program in Japan which included visits to various
governmental and non-governmental fisheries institutions,as well as exchanging views with many people. The article
is based on her personal view and does not necessarilyreflect any position of the organization on the issue.)

What about other resources?
Of course, it’s not only fishery resources that are heavily
exploited by humankind. With the growing global
population, expected to exceed nine billion by the mid-21stcentury, people will be in need of more resources but will
suffer from resource degradation, food insecurity, emerging
environmental crises, and so on. These problems bring us
to the same question on how we can manage all theresources and sustain them to serve human demands overthe long term. There are examples of both successful andfailed efforts. Some advanced technologies help us
overcome one problem, but bring back a series of others
which are even more serious. On the other hand, manytechnologies prove to be effective in balancing the resourcesand environmental protection, while serving the growing
demands for utilization by an increasing population.
The differences should be respected!
As mentioned at the beginning, people’s lives and cultures
have been developed based on specific geographical andenvironmental conditions, and many other factors. The
experience and knowledge were developed, gathered, andpassed on from generation to generation. And this kind ofPage 3

JFA To Hold 7th Int’l Seafood
Show in Tokyo in July
The Japan Fisheries Association will holdthe 7th Japan International Seafood &Technology EXPO at the Big Site in Tokyo
from July 13 to 15. Based on thesuccessful experiences of the previous
shows, the JFA expects the coming event
will become even larger in scale andattract more visitors.
Newly introduced to the next expo will be
the section for fisheries-related
biochemical products and technologies,
which the JFA hopes will respond to thenew demands of the age.
For the successful results of the 6th expo,
please see the next page.

ISARIBI NO.45

MARCH 2005

Exhibitors’ Analysis of
the 6th Japan International Seafood & Technology Expo*based on questionnaire for exhibitors (effective response ratio: 93.8%)

Total:332 exhibitors, 586 booths(Overseas countries that attended the Expo:
11 countries and 1 area not including Japan)
Booths attended by:
22.9 sales persons for each company on
average.
200 sales people at the maximum.
Invitation tickets delivered:
1,276.1 tickets for each company on
average.
14,000 tickets maximum
Deals done during the period:
62 deals for each company on average.
552 deals maximum.

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