Japan's Fishery Output Has Dropped Sharply, And Imported Seafood Has Become The Main Force in The Market

In recent years, Japan's fishery industry is no longer the strong force it once was. In 2022, Japan imported seafood worth 2 trillion yen (approximately $14.29 billion), exceeding the value of domestic production by 1.6 trillion yen (approximately $11.2 billion).

According to the recently released "2023 Fisheries White Paper", Japan's fisheries and aquaculture production in 2022 will be 3.9 million tons, a decrease of 24,000 tons (5.8%) from the previous year. The decline in production is mainly due to poor fishing of fish species such as bonito and mackerel. However, due to soaring fish prices, the production value increased by 14.8% year-on-year to 1.6 trillion yen.

At the same time, Japan's total seafood import value has risen sharply to 2.1 trillion yen in 2022, far exceeding the value of domestic production. Although the total value of imports dropped by 2.7% year-on-year in 2023, it still remains at a high of 2 trillion yen.

In 2022, Japan's self-sufficiency rate in edible seafood will be approximately 56%. This ratio has been on a long-term downward trend since reaching a peak of 113% in 1964. In addition, the number of people engaged in fisheries and aquaculture has decreased by more than 30% over the past decade, from 180,000 in 2013 to 123,000 in 2022.

In 2022, data on production volume and production value of Japan's domestic fisheries and aquaculture industry by fish type show that tuna fishing and mackerel (yellowtail) farming tied for first place, each with 139 billion yen. Followed by eel farming, worth 89 billion yen; scallop fishing, 88 billion yen; seaweed farming, 83 billion yen.

From the perspective of imported fish types, the three most valuable imported fish are salmon/trout (278 billion yen), bonito/tuna (232 billion yen) and shrimp (221 billion yen). The countries with the highest value of imported seafood are China, Chile and the United States. Japan mainly imports eels and squid from China, and salmon and trout from Chile.