Fish resources in the waters surrounding Japan have generally been under pressure in recent years due to the degradation of coastal environment and the imbalance between population size and fishing effort.

On the other hand, fisheries plays a significant role in maintaining healthy dietary habits of Japanese people who depend on marine products for 40% of their animal protein intake. Therefore, increasing in production by marine aquaculture and enhancing fishery productivity in coastal waters through sea farming, and fishing ground improvement and development are vital to ensure a stable supply of fishery products as important food for Japanese people.

"Fishery based on stock enhancement has been strongly introduced as new fishery policy in Japan. This is to be achieved through sea farming (seeds in the sea) development and improvement of coastal fishing grounds (creation of suitable fields in the sea) and aquaculture.

New fishery development projects include seeds releasing, creation of seaweed bed, aquaculture grounds creation by wave damping dike and installation of artificial upwelling-flow generation structures, etc.

Firstly, I will explain present aspects of marine aquaculture in Japan. Aquaculture production in Japan's coastal waters increased 12% in volume during the last ten years even decreasing trend in total production and its production is accounted for almost half of the entire coastal fishery production. An increment in number of species (at present, more than 60 species), mostly fin fish, such as sea bream, Japanese flounder, striped jack, amber jack, striped knife jaw and scallop, are being cultured to meet strong consumer's demand for high value fish and shellfish, and also stable and reliable supply to consumer irrespective of weather condition.

Recent establishment of a nationwide live fish distribution system for restaurants is another reason of strong demand for cultured fish.

Laver (a kind of micro algae, in Japanese Nori) is the largest production among the marine aquaculture species, then scallop and oyster comes next. Scallop production is increasing rapidly and constantly. Among the fin fish culture, yellow tail is the biggest in production.

The share of cultured in the overall fish and shellfish production has been increasing notoriously. The production of oysters, pearls and laver in Japan is almost entirely dependent on culture fisheries. For other species, aquaculture production represents 84% for sea bream, 73% for yellow tail, 51% each for flounder and scallop, 46% for kuruma prawn and 30% for kelp in 1991. And these shares have been affected a little by market prices sometime, but maintained at almost same level.

In Japan, there are no rules governing the utilization of sea water surface for aquaculture from the view point of environmental preservation and giving priority to leisure like in Western countries. Fishing right of aquaculture grounds in Japan are managed and controlled by local fishermen cooperatives under the Law of Fishery.