Japanese Fishery Data

Shoshiro Minobe (Hokkaido University, Japan)

Two publicly available dataset for Japanese fisheries

• 1) biomass analysis results for major fish species, annually updated. – Mostly available since 1980s or 1990s with

detailed parameters such as RPS.• 2) fish catch data since 1956, semiannually

updated.

sardinePacific groupTsushima current group

speciesgroup

52 spices, 84 groups

http://abchan.job.affrc.go.jp/digests23/

Maintained by Fisheries Agency of Japan and Fisheries Research Agency

1) biomass analysis results

Digest version

Detailed version

Tsushima current

Kuroshio

Oyashio

Riman current

Information of the reports.

• For each group, the report extends more than 10 pages including text, figures and tables. – For example, the report for the Sardine, Pacific group, is consist

of 13 pages of main text, figures, tables and supplementary text explaining methods rather in detail (main text is tuned so that it is readable for fishery peoples and fishermen).

– Sections of the main text for the sardine is introduction, ecology of sardine, conditions of fishery, conditions of biomass, ABC calculation in 2012, methods other than ABC, and references.

– Tables are unfortunately in pdf format, and thus we need to convert them into excel for data analysis.

Example of figure

recruitSpawning stock

RPSSardine Pacific group

catch biomass Spawningstock

recruitment

fractioncaught

Weighted mean of fishing mortality

Fishing mortality at the age of complete recruitment

Biomass analysis for sardine Pacific group

On fish stock analysis data• Since most of RPS data are available since

1980s or 1990s (direct assessment from egg, lava sampling), the influence of 1970s regime shift can not be detected, but climate forcing signatures after that like end of 1980s shift can be detected.

• The data are in pdf format, and thus converting into excel is rather laborious.

Converted data into excel format

• Primary purpose is for expanding & updating Hare & Mantua (2000) paper, now worked by Megan.

• Shinichi Itoh converted– anchovy Pacific group, anchovy Tsushima group, anchovy

Setouchi-sea group, chub mackerel, jack mackerel, herring, round herring, Pacific saury, sagittate calamari, and walleye Pollock.

• I converted more limited information than Shinichi did for – sardine Pacific group, sardine Tsushima group, jack mackerel

Tsushima Group, chub mackerel Tsushima group and snow crab Japan Sea group.

• 16 records in total now.

Ministry of agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Year 2011, condition of catch for sea fisheries (updated semiannually)

2) fish catch data since

Data are only fish catch for each of 104 species.

Bluefin tuna Long-tail tuna

On fish catch data

• The data in excel, and thus easy to use for analysis.

• Only fish catch data are available, and its fluctuations can be influenced by changes of efforts including politically forced changes of fish regions.

• Shinichi suggested that fish catch record of bottom fish can be useful, because they do not migrate.

Conclusion

• Japanese fishery data are very well organized.