Bridging the Gap
By Prof. Henry Funtecha

Fishermen's cooperatives in Kagoshima

(Note: The writer was in Japan in November 2004)

The Kagoshima Fishermen's Cooperative Association in Higashi-ichiki, Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu is one of the most successful fishermen's cooperatives in the whole of Japan . The cooperative has its own processing plant engaged in the drying and packaging of fish, mollusks and seaweeds. It is especially highly profitable in the operation of its retail shop and restaurant. Hundreds of people come to Higashi-ichiki daily to buy fish and agricultural products in its retail store, and also to eat in its restaurant famous for its fresh ocean products.

Cooperative fishing in Japan has a long history, beginning with the feudal times. However, the features of a modern cooperative in the country started only immediately after the Second World War.

There are more than 100 fishermen's cooperatives in Kagoshima Prefecture alone. At the Fishermen's Cooperative Association in Higashi-ichiki, the fisherman pays an annual membership fee, based on his earnings, to the coop. In order for the coop to raise its own funds to maintain its operations, other than the profits that it gets from selling fish and agricultural crops wholesale and retail in its store, it also collects from the fishermen and the farmers five percent of the value of the fish and crops sold.

The coop buys the fish directly from the fishermen who are themselves members. But the fishermen are not directly paid by the coop of their catch. The system is such that every fisherman has a bank account with the coop and the payment for his fish is deposited in his name. The cooperative may extend a loan to a fisherman to buy a fishing boat, if needed. Today, a motorized fishing boat costs from 20 million yen to 30 million yen.

The coop has its own ice plant, storage spaces for frozen and live fish, as well as a landing area for the fishing boats. The fishing boat can drop anchor right in front of the coop building and land its fish on the sorting board. It is also provided with a berth near the building when it is not out at sea.

The fish landing at the coop is from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 N. The first fishing boats to arrive during the 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. period are those engaged in gillnet fishing. Usually, those engaged in gillnet fishing are the husband and the wife because nowadays young people in Japan are no longer interested to go out to the sea to fish. They would rather work in offices and other professions than in the fishing boat.

Among the species of fish being brought to the coop by husband-and-wife teams of gillnet fishers are skipjack tuna, red snapper, drum fish, jack mackerel, Spanish mackerel, trumpeter and sawed-snout fish. Those of the small trawl fishermen who start landing their fish at about 11:00 A.M. until 12:00 N. have more assortment of fish because of the wider coverage of the gear that they use.

It is interesting to note that gillnet fishermen are usually old couples in their 60s and 70s but those engaged in small trawl fishing are relatively young in their 40s and 50s and go out to the sea with their sons.

Fish is relatively expensive in Japan and there is a high demand for it. A kilo of red snapper, for example, is valued at 300 yen at the coop landing but once it is retailed outside and is very fresh it can command as high as 900 yen a kilo.