ISARIBI NO.81

ISSN1346-2512

ISARIBIJapanFisheries
Association Fishing Fire

漁火NO.81, MARCH 2014
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 adopts resolution on the contribution offisheries to global security
The International Coalition of Fisheries Associations (ICFA), the largest non-governmentalorganization of the world's fisheries industry, adopted on February 13 a resolution regarding thecontribution of fisheries to global food security. It is aimed at alerting the attention of the international
community to the importance of fisheries to the world's food security, encouraging all nations to cope
positively with the promotion of sustainable fisheries, and expressing a firm commitment to advanceresponsible fisheries.
The resolution is based on discussions at ICFA’s annual meeting held in Rome, October 17-18,
2013. The Japanese delegation, led by Toshiro Shirasu, President of the Japan Fisheries Association(JFA), played an active role in developing a draft of this resolution.
ICFA intends to appeal the resolution at conferences of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO) and other related inter-governmental organizations in the future.
The entire text of the resolution is given below.

RESOLUTION REGARDING THE CONTRIBUTION OF FISHERIESTO GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY
WHEREAS ICFA
Recalls the Kyoto Declaration and Plan of Action
on the Sustainable Contribution of Fisheries
to Food Security adopted at the International
Conference on the Sustainable Contributionof Fisheries to Food Security (Kyoto, JapanDecember 1995) and conveyed to the 1996 FAO
World Food Summit.
Is concerned that the rate of progress in hunger
reduction is far below the rate to reach the1996 World Food Summit (WFS) target, whichis to halve the number of hungry people by2015, and that even today, globally, 842 million
people, which is around one in eight people
in the world, are likely to have suffered fromchronic hunger.

Recognizes that fisheries and aquaculture makecrucial contributions to the world’s wellbeing andprosperity, and that fish constitutes an importantsource of nutritious food and animal protein formuch of the world’s population, and that thesector provides livelihoods and income, both
directly and indirectly, for a significant share of theworld’s population.
Recognizes that responsible fish trade is importantsources of food security and incomes particularly
for developing countries.
Notes that properly managed fisheries enable
sustainable food production with minimal impact
on ecosystem, and is concerned that such roleof fisheries is not well understood by the global

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

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MARCH 2014

community because of which, movements
toward extreme fisheries regulation never cease.
Is concerned that regulation of fisheries and fish
trade not based on scientific grounds hampers
optimal production of seafood, disturbs animal
protein supply system, and thereby increases theenvironmental impact on terrestrial ecosystem.
Re c o g n i ze s t h a t f i s h e r m e n ’s p ro a c t i ve
engagement in resource management andenhancement of sustainability is essential forcontribution fisheries to food security.
ICFA, therefore,
1. Requests the FAO (United Nations Foodand Agriculture Organization) the following
for the purpose of fulfilling the FAO ‘s mission,“Achieving food security for all is at the heartof FAO's efforts -- to make sure people haveregular access to enough high-quality food tolead active, healthy lives.”
The FAO plays a principal role in issues regarding
conservation and sustainable development ofmarine living resources.
The FAO takes the lead on issues regarding
conservation of marine ecosystems to ensurethat adopted conservation measures are basedon scientific grounds and in harmony withsustainable fisheries.
The FAO strengthens public relations to improveunderstanding of role of fisheries in human foodsecurity by the global community
2. Urges all nations to reconfirm the importanceof contribution of fisheries to food security andbe engaged in promotion of sustainable fisheries
with proper conservation measures.
3. Resolves to further commit to promotionof responsible fisheries in order to ensure
contribution of fisheries to food security.
What is ICFA?
ICFA is an international nongovernmentalorganization committed to the sustainable
use of the world’s ocean resources,
adhering to the UN FAO’s Code of Conduct
for Responsible Fisheries. ICFA members
represent the fishing and seafood sectors

and include the national associations frommajor fishing nations of the world.

President’s message
JFA chief pledges his best efforts
to promote fish consumption inJapan
In his New Year message of the "Suisankai,"JFA's Japanese-language monthly news bulletin,
JFA president Toshiro Shirasu renewed hispledge to make all-out efforts to expand seafood
consumption in Japan and boost Japan's seafoodexports. Following is an excerpt from his message.

The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe launched in 2012 set policy priorities
to put an end to the deflationary trend thatpersisted for the past years, and revitalize theJapanese economy. Some bright signs toward
economic recovery are in sight now, as seen in
the recent upturn of the Japanese stock market.
It is hoped thatdemand for seafood
will expand, fish prices
will rise, and exports
of fishery products will
be bolstered throughfurther economic
recovery measures.
Nearly three years
have passed since thegreat earthquake andtsunami in EasternJapan in March 2011. Thanks to the government’s
assistance and the efforts of the fisheries industry
and the people in the disaster-stricken area, fishlandings have recovered to a considerable extent.
However, restoration and rehabilitation are still in
their midway. Impacts of rootless negative rumors
generated by the accident at the nuclear power
plant in Fukushima still exist around seafood
produced in the disaster area. We in the fisheries
industry are committed to redouble our joint
efforts toward a full recovery and revitalization of
the fisheries in the region at the earliest possibletime.
It is essential to secure human and natural
resources as well as fishing vessels in order toPage 2

ISARIBI NO.81
ensure a “stable supply of seafood”--which is
the important mission of our industry. The bases
for the development of fisheries are to: maintaina workforce in fishing vessel-based fisheries,
secure successors for coastal fishing, promote
construction of alternative fishing vessels,
improve and update seafood processing anddistribution facilities, and conserve and manage
fishery resources.
Supply and demand are, so to speak,
two wheels of the vehicle. Supply naturally
presupposes demand. In order to expand
demand for seafood as a whole, it is necessary
to expand consumption and promote a fishbased diet. We will deepen our cooperation with
the Fast Fish campaign--a program that has
been promoted by the government’s Fisheries
A g e n c y a n d h a s b e e n g a i n i n g i n c re a s in grecognition among consumers and the mass
media. Further, F-1 Grand Prix, a project tohighlight and publicly commend excellent
seafood products, will be awarded in Tokyo on
January 18. This project was launched in thecurrent fiscal year (ending March 2014) withthe aim to bring knowledge of local seafood
to consumers throughout the country and toattract people to fishing areas.
We will try our best to expand Japan’s seafoodexports by promoting HACCP certification andstrengthening cooperation with the Japan
External Trade Organization (JETRO).
As an organization leading the entire fisheries
industry, the JFA pledges our all-out efforts topromote and develop the industry in the years
to come.

Topic
NFI launches new website on
Fukushima FishT

he National Fisheries Institute (NFI),
representing the seafood industry in theUnited States, has recently launched awebsite titled www.FukushimaFishFacts.
com. The following is a brief introduction of thesite.
After a March 2011 earthquake damaged
Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant

MARCH 2014
on the country's coast, fears over radiation
leaks have fueled speculation, misreporting, andhyperbole about the safety of seafood from thePacific.
The science on this issue is unified and clear:seafood is and will continue to be safe to eat in
the wake of the tragedy in Japan.
The site includes sections on "What Experts
Are Saying," "What the Government & Global
Organizations are Saying," "What Research Tells
Us" and the latest accurate reporting "In TheNews."
The website will be updated regularly as media
reporting and scientific developments warrant.
The JFA appreciates the NFI's commitment toproactive communication.

Osaka Seafood Expo
Osaka Seafood Expo attracts record
number of participantsT

he 11th International Osaka Seafood &Technology Expo, organized by the Japan
Fisheries Association (JFA), was held at ATC
Hall in this western Japan commercial city.
The expo was attended by a record number ofparticipants from 254 seafood-related companies
who displayed about 2,400 products, equipment
and technologies in 265 booths. The number ofvisitors during the two-day session registered
13,860.
Four booths related to Marine Eco-label Japan(MEL Japan) displayed MEL Japan-certified
products and distributed pamphlets explaining theMEL Japan certification scheme.

Hokkaido Set-net fishermen to applyfor MEL Japan certification--Mounting buyer interest observed at Osaka
Seafood Expo--

T

he Soya Branch of the Hokkaido Set-Net
Fisheries Association decided at its board
meeting last December that it would apply
for MEL Japan certification for 52 salmon set-net
fishing units operated by its members.

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MARCH 2014

The association intends to proceed with therequired process with the aim to obtain thecertification by the time it starts the fall chumseason this year.
In August 2012, the FujimotoFisheries Section of Sarufutsu
Village, one of the branchesof the association, obtained
production-stage certification for
the Hokkaido Sarufutsu Smalltype Set-net Fisheries and theHokkaido Sarufutsu Salmon Set-net Fisheries.
Similarly, Okhotsk Katsugyo Co., a seafood
company in Esashi Town, acquired chain-ofcustody certification for these fisheries. It is
likely that more Hokkaido fishermen will now bemotivated to apply for MEL Japan certification in
the future.

place because of the shortage of time for thepreparation of food sampling, many buyers wereseen taking photos of the displays with avidinterest. The MEL-Japan Secretariat considers thatwhen actual products are placed on the market
after this fishery is expanded to 52 fishing units
this year, it will mark an epoch-making event in
the history of the MEL-Japan scheme.

The MEL Japan Secretariat hopes that if theexamination for certification of the Hokkaido
fisheries advances smoothly, the MEL Japanscheme will certainly move up to another higherstage.

MEL Japan boothPrior to submission of the application bythe Hokkaido Set-net fishermen, MEL Japan
introduced through its booth at the Osakainternational Seafood & Technology Expo theseafood from three set-net fisheries in Hokkaido
which had already obtained certification – theSouthern Kayabe Set-net Fisheries, the Hokkaido
Sarufutsu Salmon Set-net Fisheries, and theHokkaido Sarufutsu Small-type Set-net Fisheries.
There was keen interest among the Expo
visitors toward the products from Hokkaido,
one of the leading seafood producing areas inJapan. Although only displays of product took

Certified seafood from Large-sized Set-net Fishery

Certified seafood from Small-type Set-net Fishery and Salmon Set-net Fishery (above: right and left)
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