Cover
FAO FISHERIES TECHNICAL PAPER 305


Management of multispecies resources and multi-gear fisheries




TABLE OF CONTENTS

by
F. Nagasaki
Director
The Institute of Cetacean Research
Tokyo
and
S. Chikuni*
Fishery Resources Officer
Fishery Resources and Environment Division
FAO Fisheries Department

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

M-43
ISBN 92-5-102848-6

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 1989
© FAO

PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT

This document has been prepared as part of FAO's Regular Programme activities aimed first at introducing the management of multispecies resources and multi-gear fisheries employed in the coastal waters around Japan, and second at providing detailed information on appraisal of the scheme, strategy and tactics employed in conjunction with the various socio-economic conditions in Japan to facilitate planning the better management of fisheries with similar natures in other Member Countries, especially those in the tropics.

Present address:

Dr. Shiro Chikuni*
Japan Marine Fishery Resource Research Center
Godo Kaikan Bldg.
3–27 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo, 102
Japan

Distribution:

Authors
FAO Fisheries Department
FAO Regional Fishery Officers
Selector Marine

Nagasai, F., Chikuni, S.
Management of multispecies resources and multi-gear fisheries.
Experience in coastal waters around Japan.
FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. No. 305. Rome, FAO. 1989. 68 p.
ABSTRACT
The management of multispecies fisheries employed in Japan has been reviewed from both a global and a region/subject-specific point of view. The discussion focuses on five major principles involved in the management of multispecies resources and multi-gear fisheries in the coastal waters around Japan, with examples from past experience.
The topics discussed include (1) the legal and political arrangements for the management and coordination of the fisheries, including the autonomous regulatory system established by the fishermen themselves, (2) the “successional fishing” employed in two small fishing communities, (3) the demersal fish fisheries along the entire coast of Japan, (4) the coastal pelagic fish fisheries, with special reference to large changes in stock abundance and species composition, and (5) the comprehensive utilization of resources in the Seto Inland Sea.
The last topic presents a clear example of a practical application of the comprehensive management measures being applied to a limited sea area where complicated multispecies resources are exploited. In particular, the discussion considers how to cope with changes in the resources brought about by either natural or man-made causes, including the successes and failures of past management.
An overall discussion of findings focuses specifically on a few critical problems that must be taken into account when the management of multispecies resources and multi-gear fisheries is planned and/or implemented. Finally, guidelines for such management are set down to facilitate the assessment of such a system in the countries where similar management issues have not yet been experienced.

Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.INTRODUCTION
 1.1Incidental By-Catch
 1.2Successional Fishing
 1.3Irregular Change in Stocks
 1.4Utilization of an Ecosystem as a Whole
2.MANAGEMENT SCHEME FOR NEARSHDRE AND COASTAL FISHERIES
 2.1Basic System
  2.1.1Exclusive-use right of nearshore zone
   (1)Setnet fishing-right fishery
   (2)Demarcated fishing-right fishery
   (3)Common fishing-right fishery
  2.1.2Limitation of total fishing intensity
  2.1.3Conservation measures
  2.1.4Co-ordination and co-operation by fishermen
 2.2Distinctive Features
3.SUCCESSIONAL FISHERIES IN NEARSHOKE WATERS
 3.1“Hime-shima” Fisheries Co-operative
 3.2“Notsuke” Fisheries Co-operative
 3.3An Overview
4.DEMERSAL FISH FISHERIES AROUND JAPAN
 4.1Environment and Total Catch
 4.2Species Composition
  4.2.1Pacific Ocean
  4.2.2Japan Sea
 4.3Fisheries and Management
5.COASTAL PELAGIC FISH FISHERIES AROUND JAPAN
 5.1Small Pelagic Fish
  5.1.1Biological features
  5.1.2Fisheries and management
 5.2Larger Pelagic Fish
6.COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCES UTILIZATION: THE SETO INLAND SEA
 6.1General Features
 6.2Fisheries and Management
  6.2.1Major region-specific regulations
  6.2.2Fisheries co-ordination
   (1)Governmental arrangements
   (2)Autonomous co-ordination and regulation by fisheries co-operatives
 6.3Historical Review
  6.3.1Development of fisheries and change in environment
   (1)Gross production
   (2)Increase in biological productivity
   (3)Side-effects of greater production
  6.3.2Global change in resources
   (1)Change in total production by subecosystem
   (2)Change in “standing state” within subecosystem
  6.3.3Change in catches of major carnivorous fish of commercial value
   (1)Stocks once depleted by overfishing but recovering
   (2)Stocks previously stable but increasing later
 6.4Production by Aquaculture
 6.5An Overall View
7.DISCUSSION
 7.1Resources and Environment
 7.2Fisheries
 7.3Management
  7.3.1Complexity, comprehensiveness and attention to detail
  7.3.2Allowance of flexible fishing
  7.3.3Limitation of total fishing intensity
  7.3.4Participation of fishermen in management and co-ordination
 7.4Applicability of Management in General
  7.4.1Issues
   (1)Resources and environment
   (2)Fisheries
   (3)Fishermen and organizations
  7.4.2Strategy
  7.4.3Tactics, infrastructure and incentives
   (1)Measures
   (2)Infrastructure, incentives and encouragements
    (a)Organization of fishermen
    (b)Resources research and communication with fishermen
8.REFERENCES
 APPENDIX

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.Fishing-right fisheries operating in nearshore waters around Japan. The rights are granted by the prefectural governor but details of procedures and conditions are strictly defined by the Fisheries Law.
Table 2.Licensing and granting scheme of coastal fisheries in Japan.
Table 3.Annual catch of demersal fish per unit area (1 km2) of continental shelf (shallower than 200 m) by sea and region around Japan.
Table 4.Total demersal fish catch by region and the proportion taken by trawlers, 1976.
Table 5.Catch of major pelagic fish species by fishing gear taken from the waters around Japan in 1985.
Table 6.Allocation of species and species–groups to subecosystem and trophic level by major food items.

APPENDIX

Appendix
Table 1.		Long-term changes in annual catch of major carnivorous fish species of high commercial value by type of change caught in the Seto Inland Sea, 1951–85.
Appendix
Table 2.		Annual changes in aquaculture production by type of culture and major species in the Seto Inland Sea, 1969–85.

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.The coastal waters around Japan divided into sea areas for statistical and management purposes.
Figure 2.The location of the two small–scale fishing communities where “successional fishing” has been employed.
Figure 3.The extent of the continental shelf area (shallower than 200 m) in the waters around Japan and adjacent seas.
Figure 4.Annual change in the catch of major coastal small pelagic fish taken from the waters around Japan from 1957 to 1981.
Figure 5.The topography and subregions of the Seto inland Sea referred to in this paper.
Figure 6.The annual total marine catch taken from the Seto Inland Sea from 1929 to 1976, together with indications on changes in the fisheries and their environment.
Figure 7.Annual change in the total catch by sub–eco system and subregion of the Seto Inland Sea.
Figure 8.Relationship between the annual total catch and the index of the “standing state” of the biomass pyramid of the catch by sub–ecosystem and subregion of the Seto Inland Sea.
Figure 9.Long–term changes in annual catch of major carnivorous fish species of high commercial value caught in the Seto Inland Sea, 1951–85.
Figure 10.Long–term changes in annual catch of major carnivorous fish species of high commercial value by fish group caught in the Seto Inland Sea, 1951–85.
Figure 11.Annual change in aquaculture production by type of culture and major species in the Seto Inland Sea, 1969–85. The amount of feed used for fish/prawn culture is also shown.