Noto Peninsula Earthquake – 3 months later / No reconstruction work for earthquake-affected ports in Japan on the horizon; Anglers are considering staying in the grayling industry

The Yomiuri Shimbun fishing vessel Ryota Okizaki stands in a damaged port in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 Japan time, April 3, 2024

How can the Noto area in Ishikawa Prefecture find a foothold for reconstruction in the wake of the Noto Peninsula earthquake? This is the second part of a series examining some of the problems facing the region.

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Fishing boats were stranded in extremely shallow waters at Wajima Port in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, where the seabed rose by about two meters due to the powerful Noto Peninsula earthquake.

The height of the sea walls also made it impossible for ships to come alongside them. A temporary pier is being built little by little, but excavation work on the seabed and removal of about 200 damaged boats has not yet been completed.

“I want to keep fishing in Wajima, where I was born and raised, no matter how long it takes. I will do everything I can and wait until that time comes,” said Ryota Okizaki, 41. He renewed his resolve after he visited the port on March 27. March for the first time in about a month and inspect the damage to a fishing boat he inherited from his father.

After graduating from high school, Okizaki followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and made a living from gillnetting and longline fishing. He, his wife, their four children and their home in Wajima survived the January 1 earthquake, but his boat was damaged by the tsunami.

There is a shortage of repair materials and ship carpenters, so Okizaki cannot repair his ship anytime soon. Above all, it is impossible to go fishing from the damaged port.

Losing his way to making a living, Okizaki began working at a construction company run by a friend to support his family. He has been doing part-time jobs like repairing roads and clearing debris for two and a half months. Now he worries how long this situation will last.

Damage has been confirmed in 60 out of 69 fishing ports in Ishikawa Prefecture. According to the latest update from the Fisheries Agency on March 21, there were 20 unusable ports where it was impossible to land the catch, and 28 partially usable ports where the catch could be landed but not at full capacity.

Although 21 fishing ports were available, most of those at Wajima and Suzu on the peninsula were considered unusable.

The Ishikawa Prefectural Government estimates damage to the prefecture's fisheries industry at 100 billion yen. The catch at three ports in Wajima and Suzu typically represents about a quarter of the total catch at 10 major ports in the prefecture.

Wajima Port's catch was worth about 2.5 billion yen in fiscal year 2022, more than any other port in the prefecture.

The prefectural government views the Okunoto area as an important fishing area. “The reconstruction of the Noto region is not possible without rebuilding the fishing industry,” said Ishikawa Governor Hiroshi Hase.

The main obstacle is the aging of fishermen. According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2018, there were 2,409 fisheries workers in the prefecture, down 40% over the past decade.

In Wajima and Suzu alone, the number fell by just over 40% to 777 during the same period. Fisheries workers aged 65 and over represent about 31% of all workers in Wajima and about 65% in Suzu. It is believed that the graying of fishery workers is progressing further.

“None of the fishermen I know stops fishing. But I don’t know what will happen if the reconstruction process takes a long time,” said a senior official of the local fishermen’s association.

A fisherman in his twenties in Wajima got an offer to join a civil engineering company. “I'm confused about whether I should give up fishing,” he said.

Restoration work has begun in only a few ports. “Even if it is impossible to restore small fishing ports, we can integrate them into other rebuilt ports, including large centers,” said an official at the Ishikawa Prefectural Fisheries Cooperative Societies Association.

Local governments and fisheries associations formed an advisory committee on March 25 and began discussions on how to rebuild the local fisheries industry. They aim to issue a reconstruction policy by the end of fiscal year 2024, a year from now.

“When should these ports be restored? Without the prospect of restoration, fishermen cannot decide whether to continue fishing or not,” said Tatsuto Aoki, an associate professor of regional disaster prevention at Kanazawa University who has studied fishing ports affected by the quake. National Reconstruction Plan and other information to help them anticipate the future.

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