Japanese tuna fisheries : Future trends

The Japanese fishing industry in general, and the distant-water fleet in particular, is undergoing a period of transformation in response to several constraints on its traditional modes of operation. The emergence of these constraints in the last 20 years has had a marked impact on the operation of distant-water fisheries and encouraged considerable structural change in the Japanese fishing industry. This paper examines issues facing Japan's long-distance tuna fishing industry, particularly the significant legal, political and economic constraints facing the industry. The paper argues that, notwithstanding the significance of the advent of 200-mile zones arising from the LOS Convention, the problem of restricted access to distant-water grounds is not as important in the medium term as the economic constraints on Japan's distant-water fishing industry. While it is clear that Japan is already adopting a number of strategies to cope with these legal, political and economic issues, the paper concludes that the long-term outlook for the distant-water tuna fishing industry in its current form is bleak.