Policy Reform

30% of the world’s most important fisheries resources are overfished, 60% are fully exploited, while less than 10% of fisheries resources still are underfished. Aquaculture business is a promising growth industry, but most of the industry still relies on wild fish for feed and a healthy marine ecosystem. Japan was once the world’s largest seafood nation but, proportionally with the deterioration in the state of fisheries resources, the amount of catch is one third of what it was at the peak, and employment in the fisheries industry has shrunk to a quarter. Furthermore, seafood consumption per capita has also decreased by 40% in the past twenty years.

To resolve these issues and to ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources, the Japanese government overhauled the Fisheries Act in 2018, the first revision in 70 years. The revised Act took effect in 2020. To achieve the goals stated in the Act, the government has formulated a roadmap toward new science based stock management with sound harvest strategy which set clear timelines and numerical targets.

As well as advocating the government and participating in committees and experts’ meetings, Seafood Legacy also plays a role as an advisor and a fiscal sponsor to a platform of several professional organizations advancing the steady implementation of the revised Fisheries Act. We work to strengthen assessment and governance of fisheries resources, to redesign the subsidy system for fisheries, and to establish an electronic catch documentation and reporting system. We strive to strengthen the management of international fisheries resources in collaboration with international NGOs, businesses, scientists, governments, international organizations and other stakeholders aiming to improve the management functions in regional fisheries.