In today's Japan, coastal fisheries face challenges due to the rapid depopulation in many regions. However, the Sea of Okhotsk, which stretches across eastern Hokkaido, Japan, has maintained high levels of fish catch and production, and fishermen's incomes are extremely high. It is worth noting that the coastal areas of the Sea of Okhotsk were never rich in industry, which may have contributed to the challenges faced by coastal communities in the region. The high productivity of today's fishermen is a testament to the effectiveness of the resource management efforts they have put in place.
There are 10 fishery cooperatives along the Sea of Okhotsk in northeastern Hokkaido. This study focuses on the resource management of the Abashiri Fishery Cooperative Association's scallop fishery, with a particular emphasis on the role of fishermen in achieving sustainable management of the fishing grounds.
The Abashiri Fishery Cooperative holds fishing rights off the coast of Abashiri City and is one of the largest producers in the Okhotsk region. The scallop fishery in this area adopts a method of sowing in the seabed (sowing culture). This method is based on a rotational fishing method known as the “four-ring harvesting system” or “rotation system,” in which the fishing grounds are divided into 4 areas, and the fishing of adult scallops and the release of young scallops are repeated in 4-year cycles, shifting the fishing area every year. The larvae utilized in this method are procured from natural seedbeds, which are collected from floating larvae that migrate southward with the ocean currents during the spring season. The scallops are then released into the open sea, where they are nourished on the sandy seafloor and grow to become scallops, which are then harvested. This series of aquaculture technologies were developed mainly in the 1950s and 1960s.
This report examines how all fishermen strictly followed the order of use of their fishing grounds and how they achieved technical control to prevent overfishing.
