ISARIBI DECEMBER 2001

ISSN1346-2512

NO.28
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

HIGHLIGHTS

Scientists Report Fish Diet Helps
Release Stress and Prevent Alzheimer’s
In this Issue
Fish for Releasing Stressand Preventing Alzheimer’s............................................... 1
ICFA at Reykyavik Conference.......................................2
18 African States Against
IUU/FOC Fishing................2
Fisheries Workers Rally in
Las Palmas.........................3
ASEAN-SEAFDEC Exhibition & Conference..............3
JFA Donates $25,000 to
Families of US Terrorist
Victims.................................3Japan’s Whale Research
Fleet Leaves Port...............4
Readers’ Comments........4

THE 4th INTERNATIONALSEAFOOD & TECHNOLOGYEXPOTokyo Int’l Exhibition Center
Date: July 24-26, 2002
Contact: Exhibition Secretariat
URL.http///www.k-ide.com/
seafood/e index.html

At recent meetings of the Academic Advisory Council for Promotion of Fish Diet,
organized by the Japan Fisheries Association, two experts reported that regular consumption of fish is effective for releasingstress and preventing Alzeheimer’s and otherdiseases. Following are excerpts of the reports.

DHA Helps Release Stressdose of DHA will enable a person to behave
normally under a certain level of stress. This may
have an effect in reducing the recent reported
tendency of Japanese youth to react violently
under slight pressure. Hamazaki and his teamare now conducting the tests on elementary
school children and he hopes to finalize the data
before the end of this year.

Fish Helps Prevent Alzheimer’s
DiseaseNon-saturated fatty acids, such as
“Progress in recent studies on Alzheimer’s disdocosahexaenoic acid (DHA) containedin fishease
revealed that its prevention depends on howoil, have been found to have curative properties for myocardial infarction, arterial sclero- one leads a healthy middle-age life and fish prosis, cancer, inflammation, allergy, and other dis- vides the most appropriate protein for prevention,” according to Professor Akira Ueki of Jichi
eases.
This was reported by Professor Tomohito Medical University.
Speaking at the Council’s second meeting on
Hamazaki of Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University at the Council’s meeting October 30 , Ueki said that development of theheld at the Tokyo University of Fisheries on prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease
is an important goal pursued in medical research.
June 13.
Also properties of DHA for alleviating men- Although at a slow pace, clues for preventing
tal diseases were identified, and a full-scale Alzheimer’s disease have been accumulated,research is now underway, centering on the among them the relation of environmental factors to dietary practice, social stress and pharUnited States, Hamazaki said.
Hamazaki himself is carrying out “double maceuticals.
For a person suffering from a disease caused
blind study” on hostility using 52 subjects (19byhis or her living habits, dietary factors are themales and 33 females) mainly from among
most
important. A full-scale survey in the Nethuniversity students. The subjects of the test
were divided in two groups. One group was erlands showed that both excessive consumpasked to take DHA capsules (1.5 grams a tion of animal fat and lack of consumption ofday) for about 3 months while the other group fish might cause a risk of Alzheimer’s disease,
was asked to take vegetable oil capsules for with former having impediments in brain blood
the same period. Hostility was measured tube and the latter not having it. It has been U
through psychological tests before and after
taking the capsules.
The results showed that no change was observed in hostility for the DHA group as contrasted with heightened hostility for the vegetable oil group, thus showing a significant
range of statistical differences between thetwo groups. It was concluded that a proper

ISARIBI: First published by the Japan Fisheries Association in October 1992. JFA President: Hiroya Sano; Senior
Executive Managing Director: Kiyoshi Yoshizaki; Editor: Masashi Nishimura

ISARIBI NO.28

DECEMBER 2001

(from Page 1)

reported in Japan that patients with Alzheimer’s disease have a lower consumption of fish and green andyellow vegetables, and that the consumption of fish could
restrain myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction.
Also it has been reported that regular physical exercise,three times or more a week, increasing the heart rate
beyond that of ordinary walking, could have an effectof restraining the occurrence of the disease.
Prevention of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease de-pends on how healthy a life one leads during his or her
middle ages. Of course, leading a healthy lifestyle should
not begin from the middle ages. It is crucial to give heed to,and practice, the three principles of health (nutrition, exercise and rest) from youth. Nutrition has a higher importance among the three. Fish especially proved to provide
the protein most suited to preventing Alzheimer’s diseaseas fish oil has the properties to protect endothelium cells inthe blood veins and restrain inflammation.

INTERNATIONAL SCENEICFA Supports Sustainable Use of Fisheries to Contribute to
Global Food Security
At the Reykjavik Conference on Responsible Fisherable. Unwarranted restrictions on sustainable fisheries haries in the Marine Ecosystem, the International Coalition
vests should be avoided.
K Fisheries conservation and management measuresof Fisheries Associations (ICFA) expressed its strong
commitment to the long-term sustainable use of living
should be practical and reasonable. Measures that are notmarine resources in order to contribute to global food
implementable or impose undue restrictions on trade should
security. It said that there are fundamental scientific
be avoided.
KMultilaterally-agreed trade measures may assist fisherquestions surrounding ecosystem-based fisheries conservation and management.
ies conservation and management obThe conference, attended by over 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
jectives if appropriately implemented.
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400 participants, was held on Octo- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234* Global fisheries make an important con1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
ICFA is an international
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ber 1-4, 2001 under the joint spon- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
tribution to global food security as called
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organization of the world’s
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sorship of the Government of Iceland 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
for by the 1995 Kyoto Conference on
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major fishing nations
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and the Food and Agriculture Orga- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
Global Food Security. This contribution
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dedicatedtothepromotion
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nization of the United Nations (FAO) 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
must not be unnecessarily reduced.
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KAs a fundamental stakeholder in fishand the cosponsorship of the Gov- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
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marineresourcesfor
their
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ernment of Norway. The explicit pur- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
eries, the fish and seafood industry must
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contribution
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be fully-integrated into the decision-maksecurity.
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on marine ecosystem issues, future 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
ing process regarding the design andvisit www.icfa.net.
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challenges, and relevant strategies in- 1234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234
implementation of fishery conservation
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cluding capture fisheries manageand management measures.
K The ICFA fully supports the FAO’s
ment.
ICFA was represented at the conference by the FishInternational Plan of Action to Prevent, Deter, and Elimieries Association of Iceland in the capacity of a regisnate Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing. The ICFA
tered international non-governmental organization. Nobelieves the full implementation of this IPOA will dramatitably, ICFA stressed the following key points to be fully
cally improve the long-term conservation of living marinedeliberated by the participants:
resources and avoid unfair burdens on lawful fisheries parKFisheries conservation and management measures
ticipants.
must be based on the best scientific information avail-18 African States Pledge to Eliminate IUU/FOC Fishing--Efforts to Contain Illegal Fishing Are Steadily Gaining Ground Globally-The fisheries ministers of African states bordering theAtlantic Ocean unanimously expressed their concern regarding information indicating an increase in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, including fishingactivities by vessels commonly known as “Flag of Convenience” vessels and vessels without nationality.
The concern was stated explicitly in the Libreville Declaration on Responsible Fisheries, adopted at the close of
the 5th Ministerial Conference on Fisheries Cooperation
among African states bordering the Atlantic, held in

Libreville, Gabon, October 18 and 19.
The Declaration also decided to take appropriate steps
to prevent IUU fishing, to improve monitoring, control andsurveillance, and to control fishing capacity where necessary.
Fisheries community welcomed the Declaration as asteady international step toward containing IUU/FOC fishing practice—now a serious issue causing disturbance inthe global fishery order.
The conference, convened at the invitation of the
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ISARIBI NO. 28

DECEMBER 2001

Gabonese Government, generally purported to reaffirm its
commitment to the promotion of regional cooperation, andto reiterate that the achievement of the sustainable management of fisheries was of great importance for food security, the attainment of national economic and social goals
and the well-being and sustainable livelihoods of individuals and families involved in fisheries.
Fisheries ministers of 18 states (out of 22 member states)

participated: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Congo Republic,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon,
Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco,
Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Sao tome Principe, Senegal,
and Togo. Japan, together with France and other countries, participated as observers. Also international governmental organizations, such as FAO and ICCAT, sent theirobservers.

Fisheries Workers Rally in Las Palmas for Closing Portfor IUU/FOC Fishing Vessels
The International Transport Worker's Federation (ITF)
called for the elimination of Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) and Flag of Convenience (FOC) fishingactivities at a conference of its Fisheries Section in Las
Palmas, Spain, 9-10 October 2001.
The meeting was attended by representatives of 16
nations including France, Spain, the Russian Federation,
Norway, Poland, Morocco, Brazil, Argentina and Japan.
The delegates adopted by consensus a motion, tabled
by Japan, on the need to take trade measures to eliminate
FOC and IUU fishing.
The motion, among other things, called upon the Japanese Government and other governments, as appropriate,

to prohibit trade in tunas and Dissostichus eleginoides
taken by those nations which undermine the effectivenessof the conservation and management measures of regional
fisheries management organizations. The text of the ITF
decision was submitted to concerned ministers of the Japanese government.
After the meeting, the ITF delegates visited the Las
Palmas port authority to request closure of the port to IUU/
FOC fishing vessels. Las Palmas is well-known as a baseport for FOC fishing vessels. Later in the day, the participants staged a rally in the port area to appeal their opposition to IUU/FOC fishing activities.

EVENTSJFA Spotlights the Future of Japanese Fisheries at the ASEAN-SEAFDEC
Millennium Fisheries Exhibition
The Japan Fisheries Association took part in the Japanese Government’s exhibition booth at the ASEANSEAFDEC Millennium Fisheries Exhibition organized under the auspices of the Thai Government in Bangkok, November 21-24. The exhibition was held to coincide with theFish for People Conference.
The Japanese booth, under the theme “Japan’s Challenge,” presented various initiatives Japan is taking for thepromotion of sustainable fisheries, which was the main
theme of the exhibition. The initiatives were supported byvarious explanatory materials such as panels, videos, brochures, pamphlets, booklets and fishing reef models.
The Japanese displays featured topics pertaining to thedirection that Japan should take in the years ahead in achieving sustainable fisheries. Specifically, presentations weremade on such points as the present situation of the fisheries
industry, the Basic Fisheries Law, fisheries management
based on the Total Allowable Catch system, fisheries information services, fish propagation and aquaculture, thepromotion of fishing ports and villages, FOC fishing vessels, the development of fishing grounds, international cooperation, the distribution of fishery products, fisheries andJapanese culture, and research whaling.
Visitors to the Japanese booth showed an especially greatinterest in new fisheries technologies, such as the formation of artificial fishing reefs, the development of coastal
fishing grounds, and marine ranching. There was also interest in cultural exhibits, such as a carp streamer, that showed

the close affinity between fisheries and the life of the Japanese people.
Facing the Japanese government booth, the Japan Whaling Association held its own exhibit, presenting the Japanese position on whaling with special emphasis on the issue of cetacean/fisheries interaction.
During the 4-day session, Japan’s Vice Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Takeshi Noma, as well as
ministers of the ASEAN countries, visited the Japanesebooth. About 80 private corporations and 30 international/
regional organizations participated in the exhibition, with
the number of visitors totaling approximately 2,200.
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Japanese Fishing Industry Donates $25,000
for families of US terrorist attack victims

The Japan Fisheries Association, on behalfof Japanese fishing industry, contributed
US$25,000 to a fund estabished by U.S. seafood companies to help the bereaved families of the firefighters and police officers wholost their lives in their rescue work in connection with the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.

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ISARIBI NO.28

DECEMBER 2001

RESEARCH

JAPAN’S WHALE RESEARCH FLEET SETS OUT FOR
15TH ANTARCTIC CRUISE
The Research Program Is in Compliance with the ICRW
and Responds to High Evaluation of the IWC Scientific Committee.
Japan will continue its whale research catch program in the Antarctic supported by the high evaluationof the scientific community, including the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission, and incompliance with the International Convention for the
Regulation of Whaling.
The Antarctic whale catch research fleet, composedof the research mothership Nisshin-Maru, three catcher
boats (Yushin-Maru, No. 1 Kyo-Maru, and No. 25 ToshiMaru) and a sighting survey boat (No. 2 KyoshinMaru), departed the port of Shimonoseki, Western Japan, on November 6, 2001.
The research, in its 15th year since 1987, is aimed atclarifying the uncertainties surrounding the whale resources which had been cited as a basis for establishing a commercial whaling moratorium in 1982.
It is essential to obtain knowledge not only on whale
population size but also biological information such as
natural mortality rates and sex composition with a viewto achieve sustainable use of whale resources. This
research is aimed at collecting data to obtain such information. The collected data has been submitted to
the IWC Scientific Committee each year, and has received high evaluation.
Japan Is Also Active in Non-lethal Research
Besides the research catch program, Japan has been
contributing to whale research by providing research
vessels and crews to non-lethal research programs suchas the IWC’s SOWER sighting survey and biopsy research. By contrast, no country that pushed for the commercial whaling moratorium on the grounds of scientific uncertainties has bothered to undertake similar efforts to date.
At the port departure ceremony in Shimonoseki attended by many guests, families and children waving
flags, Minoru Morimoto, the Japanese IWC Commissioner, said: “For Japan that pursues the resumption ofsustainable commercial whaling, this whale catch research will provide essential knowledge on the ecologyof minke whales. The research is indispensable to carryout accurate stock management. Also, knowledge will
be obtained on the role of whales in the Antarctic ecosystem as well as the feeding behavior of whales consuming a large amount of marine species and the stateof accumulation of contaminants in whales.”“Thus,” he continued, “research has a great role inknowing the marine ecosystem of the Antarctic. Antiwhaling countries are opposing, saying that such rePage 4

Research fleet leaving Shimonoseki Portsearch is not necessary. Amid anticipation that a food shortage will occur in the not too distant future, there is a need touse marine living resources, which are a potential food source,
appropriately. For this goal, such research is indispensable.
Furthermore, this research is fully legal, stipulated explicitly
as a right of the Contracting Party of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling,” Morimoto said.
The research fleet will sample up to 440 minke whales(which represent only 0.05% of the estimated population of
760,000 whales) and will return to Japan in April of next
year. The samples obtained will be analyzed at the Instituteof Cetacean Research and the results will be reported to
the IWC.

Readers’ Comments“I appreciate ISARIBI news letter very much. I am using
your information in the many ISARIBI news letters I
have saved, as part of my research base for my doctoral
work.”—Ms. Janice Henke, USA.
“We were most interested in the perspectives within the
Isaribi, particulary on the recent shark finning ban in theUS, which will affect fisheries under this Council’s
jurisdiction.”—Kitty S Simmonds, Executive Director, Western
Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.
We welcome readers’ comments on this newsletter.
Editor--email:JDB00775@nifty.ne.jp