Fishermen in Japan go on strike
Where will we get our fresh sashimis now?
A lot of people do not know or appreciate where their food comes from or who, in truth, is actually feeding them. It is people like the fisherman, the farmers and the cattle and sheep herders that are feeding people in the world. Without them, we’re too modernized to actually know how to use a fishing hook to catch our feed for the day.
Because of the rising oil prices, the fishermen in Japan have began a strike to protest against the fuel prices. Fishermen in my country do not earn an enormous amount of money after all costs are considered, they only have enough for the year providing if the season is a good one. And with this rising fuel prices, it would be almost impossible to make a decent living. I am not saying I am for this strike because fish prices is going to go up due to this protest, which will raise the prices in restaurants, etc if it goes on long enough….but whose fault is it really?
Fishermen across Japan suspended operations on Tuesday as part of a huge protest by 16 main fishing organizations to highlight hardships caused by surging fuel prices.
The one-day fishing suspension by organizations including the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations and the Japan Fisheries Association, representing about 200,000 fishing vessels altogether, was the first nationwide fishing stoppage sparked by high fuel prices.
Since the suspension halted the supply of nearly all fresh fish, there is a possibility that fish prices could temporarily be affected.
Under the move, the commercial operation of most domestic fishing boats was suspended. In addition to boats in home waters, vessels fishing for tuna and other fish in the open sea refrained from unloading fish at ports in Japan on Tuesday. Fish farming operators were also due to suspend shipments.
The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations said that the estimated going rate of A-type heavy oil used in fishing boats was 115,400 yen per kiloliter, roughly triple the price five years ago. For coastal fishing boats under 20 tons, the cost of fuel accounted for about 23 percent of operating costs in 2006, but recently it has reportedly passed 30 percent.
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