February 26, 2024 | Change in Japanese law has fishing co-ops worried they'll lose access to aquaculture sites.
A change to Japan’s national fisheries law has granted corporations access to aquaculture sites in certain instances, worrying members of local fishing cooperatives who fear these large businesses will take over sites previously reserved for them and reduce their status to mere employees instead of owner-operators.
The biggest contention is the law's language of “appropriate and effective.” This inherently vague standard leaves standardized requirements or inspections impossible and keeps cooperatives guessing as to whether they are operating to the letter of the law.
The Fisheries Ministry has released some guides, but the regulations and laws have created some tension between fishing companies and cooperatives for certain aquaculture sites.
Cooperatives, and especially new members, will have to tread carefully so as not to violate the vague statute and lose their fishing rights.
