December 29, 2011

In order to ensure stable food supplies, Japan's Fisheries Agency officials said Wednesday (Dec 28) that it intends to increase the country's seafood self-sufficiency rate to 70% in fiscal 2022, up from 60% in 2010.

The goal will be included in the country's next basic fishery programme, which is set to be revised in March 2012.

The self-sufficiency rate is a measure of the amount of fishery products consumed in Japan that come from seafood caught or farmed in the country.

The agency aims to achieve the fiscal 2022 production target of 4.49 million tonnes, up 9.7% from fiscal 2010, while supporting recovery of the fishery industry in north eastern and eastern Japan, which was hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. It also plans to boost marine resource management amid falling domestic production due chiefly to overfishing.

It also plans to maintain the current seafood consumption level at 29.5 kilogrammes per person a year. Based on this figure, total domestic seafood consumption in fiscal 2022 is projected at 6.44 million tonnes.

According to the agency, Japan's seafood self-sufficiency rate peaked at 113% in fiscal 1964. Due to growth in imports, however, the figure fell to 53% in 2000.

The current basic fishery programme, which was compiled in March 2007, calls for increasing the rate to 65% in fiscal 2017.