I read this article (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20221024/k10013868241000.html) today, which has some mind-numbing numbers related to fugu fishing over the past few years. It brought to mind the problem of overfishing in general, but especially in Japan.
I’ve only started living in Japan (been here 3 years), and have been planning living here long-term. That being said, I sometimes worry about the centrality of fishing to Japan’s lifestyle and economy, and what will happen in the long-term considering that we as a species are projected to deplete the ocean almost entirely by 2050. This will impact everyone in the world, but especially Japan.
Do you ever worry about this? What would happen to Japan if its fishing industry collapsed?
7 comments
Oh yes I see the slow train wreck of the Japanese economy as social security implodes and the boomers suck up the last drop of resources and I say, “Oh no…the fishing industry”
Japan had a massive mining industry. The mines are all but gone now but it wasn’t like the economy was devastated (mining towns and miners were but not the country as a whole). This is because as the supply dwindled people adjusted to the unavailability.
Same will happen to fishing. If there is no fish to be caught the economy will look to compensate elsewhere and the people will just stop eating fish because they are so expensive.
That being said you won’t be able to live in any single country if you’re worried about what’s going to happen in 2050 because there is so much uncertainty in every country
I worry less about that, and more about the rising ocean levels just swallowing the island whole. But I’ll be here until I die.
Japan will just import more seafood. If there is no longer any seafood to import from other countries, which we are also on track for, idk. That will be a huge massive problem. And of course no more sushi.
Japan’s domestic fishing industry is also declining. The average fisherman is getting older and their children don’t want to replace them. I currently work as a fisherman in Japan. It’s a *lot* of work for a salary you can get just about anywhere else. Unless you are fishing for a luxury or super in-demand fish.
The Japanese gov also doesn’t give a shit about the fish. It’s mostly up to the local fisheries to fish and conserve the fish in their area. Which the vast majority don’t do the latter because there are no quota restrictions (there are a few but mostly for big name fish like tuna). You just fish for the day and if you catch a lot cool, that’s a lot of money and no one really cares how much fish you just pulled from the sea. Japan does basically zero stock assessments. They have no idea how much fish is in their waters. All they know is catches are decreasing year after year. To fix the issue change needs to come from the top. The fishermen are just trying to get by and won’t overfish their livelihood if they don’t need to. But there is no unified national effort to make sure stocks are sustainable for future generations.
This would be around item #468 on my list of “Things I’m worried about screwing Japanese society over by mid-century”.
To be clear I’m not saying that this isn’t an important issue, just that its a crowded field.
No more Hama Zushi for lunch on our Saturday afternoon shopping trips?
There are more concerning projections worldwide to worry about come 2050 than just depleted fishing in Japan. Rising sea levels, more harsh weather patterns affecting outdoor agriculture, increased destructive storm activity due to global warming, increased stupidity from those who think the latter is a hoax. So don’t worry you’ll get your share no matter where you live.