Hagfish needs the new paradigm of Japan's domestic fisheries management

Research PaperThe new fishery order of Japan, China and the Republic of Korea (Korea) has changed their supply-and-demand structure (SDS) of marine products. This study observes the hagfish fishing which started in the Japanese coast/offshore, and the change of the international SDS. The present condition will be arranged as a framework subject of a new domestic fisheries management policy in Japan. The background takes following points. In Japan, hagfish has not been important until now. It hardly becomes edible. In Korea, It is very popular to be edible and is also the materials for leather craft. The demand is not declined. New Japan-Korea Fisheries Agreement has the Korean hagfish boats lost their fishing grounds near Japan. Imported frozen/fresh hagfish supports the consumption market. In Japan, the hagfish fishing started with the intermediation of Korean brokers. Between the hagfish fishing and existing fishings, problems have occurred. Although the local government started to arrange/mediate them, few regulation basis of fishing ground distribution or use adjustment was found. There is also the local government who considers a hagfish fishing to be introduction of a new fishing method. The concept of Exporter-materialization is hardly observed. Furthermore, illegal operation was found as violation-of-territorial-waters. In Japan, arrangement of the fishing ground use for foreign demand has not occurred in the coastal. The worthless fish resources as hagfish shows that Japan\'s domestic fisheries management policy that takes traditional practice very seriously cannot be coped with a new paradigm as the international SDS