Effects of Sustainable Fisheries Certification on Fishery Stocks

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12789
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07040:Economic policy-related
• Research Institution: Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2021-2023); Fisheries Research and Education Agency (2018-2020)
• Principal Investigator: Wakamatsu Hiroki 農林水産省農林水産政策研究所, その他部局等, 研究員 (90722778)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 持続可能な漁業 / 漁業資源 / 水産エコラベル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Under the research question of whether sustainable fishery certification affects fishery resources, this study matched publicly available stock levels and fishing pressure with certified fisheries and compared certified and non-certified stock levels and fishing pressure. We also verified whether the scores of the assessment items conducted at the time of certification were related in any way to the stock and catch. The results showed that from the first year of certification to the last year of available data, stock abundance increased and fishing pressure decreased for certified fisheries, while stock abundance decreased and fishing pressure increased for non-certified fisheries. A correlation was also observed between assessment scores and stock/fishing pressure, indicating that assessment items can be a means of indicating the status of a sustainable fishery.

Free Research Field

資源経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

水産エコラベルは消費者の持続可能性への需要によって漁業資源を持続可能な方向へ導く手段である。その需要は多くの研究により存在することが判明している反面、資源へ影響を与えているのか、またその審査項目自体に意味があるのか不明であった。本研究は、先行研究に続き、違った側面から持続可能な漁業の状態が非認証漁業よりも良い状態にあることを示すとともに、その審査項目の得点も漁業の持続可能性を表すものとして成立していることを示した。