Japan's Total Allowable Catch Systems in Fishery Resource Management

Abstract

The fishing industry is one of the important industries, and seafood is an essential source of animal protein in Japan. However, declines of some fishery resources are causing socioeconomic problems in the fisheries. In order to suggest ways to improve this situation, this study examines Japan’s fishery resource management focusing on Total Allowable Catch (TAC) systems. I use a multiple case study approach about the fishery resource management systems for four stocks, i.e., chub mackerel, walleye pollock, bluefin tuna and ocellate puffer in the context of a Social-Ecological Systems framework. The analysis of the four cases shows that (1) TAC should be set following scientific advice for separate stocks; (2) TAC should be allocated to fishermen’s groups in which members can share a common interest; and (3) management measures to comply with catch quota and to avoid a race-to-fish, such as Individual Transferable Quota (ITQ) programs and cooperative management, can be selected by each group to achieve their objectives.