Overview
In Tomamae-cho, Hokkaido, about 10% of the population of 3,200 are employed in the fishing industry (2010 census). As with the trends for Japan as a whole, the fishing industry in Tomamae is in decline, experiencing a reduction in catches, an aging of the workforce, and a lack of new interest in the industry. The Tomamae Giant Pacific Octopus FIP aims to revitalize the region’s fisheries by improving the sustainability of fishing practices through the establishment of a science-based management plan for the octopus fishery, which is managed by the Kita-Rumoi Fisheries Cooperative. In addition to the environmental work, the group of barrel drift fishermen involved in the FIP want to use the project as a vehicle to generate further interest and investment in the region’s fisheries.
In Tomamae-cho, Hokkaido, about 10% of the population of 3,200 are employed in the fishing industry (2010 census).
The objectives to be achieved by March 2023 are:
- To have a harvest strategy that is robust and responsive to target stock abundance.
- To have adequate information to support the harvest strategy and the assessment of the stock.
- To have robust stock assessments that clearly show stock status.
- To have information on fishery impacts on key ecosystem elements.
- To have precautionary long-term objectives and fishery specific objectives that are consistent with principles 1 and 2 of the MSC standard.
- To have appropriate decision-making processes in place.