Studies on Effective Utilization of Local Fisheries Resources in Kagoshima Bay, Southern Japan : Preliminary Research on Present Status of the Pandalid Shrimp Plesionika semilaevis Stock

In Kagoshima Bay, southern Japan, the pandalid shrimp Plesionika semilaevis (Decapoda, Caridea) is a principle by-catch of small-scale bottom seine fishery. Because the main target of the fishery is the deep-water mud shrimp Solenocera melantho (Decapoda, Penaeidea, Solenoceridae) and the market price of P. semilaevis is low, P. semilaevis is often discarded in the sea. Along with the integration of research methods from the fields of fisheries biology and marine social science, this research also aimed to provide the results to the local community in order to utilize P. semilaevis effectively as a local resource. The results of the present study confirmed that P. semilaevis can be caught throughout the year in a relatively stable manner, and this shrimp may have potential as sashimi or as other processed food products. However, the study clarified that there is a problem with the distribution channel and that the local consumers do not necessarily prefer aquatic products