The political economy of Japanese distant water tuna fisheries

This paper first describes the development of Japanʹs tuna fisheries, outlines the constraints facing these fisheries and identifies strategies to manage these constraints. A case study of the southern bluefin tuna fishery indicates the significance of the challenges facing Japanese tuna fisheries. ‘It is too early to pronounce that the sun has set on one of Japanʹs most successful distant water fisheries — there are avenues for adjustment. The difficult process of domestic restructuring is occurring at the same time that Japan is having to address significant external constraints on this industry.’