Amid consumer concerns about seafood contaminated with radiation, the Fisheries Agency is asking seven eastern prefectures and maritime organizations to be more specific about where their fish are caught.
Amid consumer concerns about seafood contaminated with radiation, the Fisheries Agency is asking seven eastern prefectures and maritime organizations to be more specific about where their fish are caught.
Under the current system, fishermen can simply write down the ports where they have taken their fish and other marine products as the locations for their catches. For example, if fish caught off Hokkaido end up at Kesennuma Port in Miyagi Prefecture, the fishermen can say the fish were caught off Miyagi Prefecture.
The agency on Oct. 5 sent a notice for stricter standards to the prefectural governments of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba as well as fishing organizations, including cooperative associations.
It said the requirement was necessary because consumers’ interest in sea areas has grown because of the radioactive substances leaking from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
However, the notice is not legally binding.
“We will ask each prefecture for cooperation,” an agency official said.
According to the notice, fish and other marine creatures caught near the coast should feature labels mentioning the closest prefecture.
Other rules apply for fish that swim further out in areas that can cover two or more prefectures, such as bonito and saury.
If such fish are caught off Fukushima Prefecture, they should be labeled as: “Off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture.”
Fish caught in the Pacific Ocean off Hokkaido or Aomori Prefecture should also be labeled as such.
For fish taken from waters off Iwate Prefecture, fishermen are required to write, “Off the coast of the northern part of Sanriku.” They should write, “Off the coast of the southern part of Sanriku” for catches off Miyagi Prefecture.
Fish caught off Ibaraki Prefecture should be described as, “Off the coast of Hitachi or Kashima,” while Chiba Prefecture fish should be labeled: “Off the coast of Boso (peninsula).”
Catches in areas east of the 200 nautical mile line from the eastern Japanese coast should be described as: “Northern part (of sea areas) in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan.”