The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Fisheries Agency aiming for high-tech industry update
e Fisheries Agency plans to dispatch tech experts to shing villages and related locations across the country in scal 2023 to promote digitization within the shing industry.
A new online portal will centralize information, with the agency acting as a bridge between people within the industry and IT specialists.
e move is aimed at updating traditional shing methods, which o en rely on intuition and experience, and enhancing productivity by utilizing technology.
More than 50 individuals and organizations, including IT rms and electronic manufacturers, are expected to register with the portal site. In scal 2023, the agency will invite applications from the private sector to form a secretariat to manage the site.
e secretariat will liaise with people and areas that are open to digitization and dispatch experts to industry front lines. e agency aims for the portal site
to be freely accessible and will strive to spread word of its e orts to help digitize the sector.
e agency also is weighing training sessions for IT experts to acquaint them with the basics of the shing industry and plans to incorporate related costs in its budgetary requests for scal 2023.
As an example of digitization within the industry, arti cial intelligence can be used to predict the richest shing grounds and relate the information to shermen via smartphone.
Another scenario is using monitors to relay sh-catch data to markets using image-analyzing technology installed on shing boats. If information on hauls is shared in advance with markets, it will be possible to expedite the bidding process and make it easier to prepare transportation.
By using QR codes, it is possible to manage sh-catch histories, processing and sales in an integrated manner. As a result, it is expected to be easier for areas to improve their respective brand images.
e shing industry is su ering from a severe labor shortage and falling catches. In 2020, 135,660 people were working in the industry, down about 40% from 2008. Workers age 65 and older accounted for about 40% of the 2020 gure, highlighting the issue of aging within the industry.
Data for 2020 shows that production within the shing and aquaculture industries had fallen to one-third that of the peak year of 1984.
e Fisheries Agency hopes that its digitization e orts will help increase pro ts and attract more young people to the shing industry. (Aug. 24)