Weak Sales Spur Drive to Boost Mackerel, Sardine Demand

June 1, 2018

Tokyo- While squid, salmon and saury catches remain sluggish, Japanese fishery businesses are ramping up efforts to shore up consumer demand for mackerel and sardine, which account for the largest hauls among marine products in Japan.

Calls are growing for better use of mackerel and sardine, as neither is much in favor with consumers.

According to fisheries production data published in late April by the fisheries ministry, Japan's total catches of marine products stood at 4.3 million tons in 2017.

Mackerel and sardine shared top place, with about 510,000 tons each, followed distantly by scallops, with some 240,000 tons.

"Some 30 or 40 years ago, mackerel and sardine were hot-selling fish," recalled a fisheries adviser who has long worked with the seafood section of a major supermarket.

"But currently they seldom sell if displayed whole," mainly due to the difficulty of cooking them, the adviser said.

In 2017, per-capital consumption plunged 40 pct from 10 years before for mackerel and 20 pct for sardine, an internal affairs ministry survey on household spending showed.

Consumption of mackerel is slightly higher than that of sardine. According to a wholesaler in Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market, however, mackerel from Norway is popular with Japanese consumers while the Japanese fish is increasingly exported to Africa and other overseas markets.

In attempts to stimulate domestic consumption of mackerel and sardine, regional initiatives have led to a number of processed items that use the fish.

Iwasei, a fishery processor in Yaizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, has developed food products using mackerel arriving at a local port that go well with wine and bread.

The Western-style product series uses dry fruits and a range of spices including herbs. In addition to sales at its local store, the company plans to ship them to major cities, including Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

"We want women who have issues with mackerel to try them," an official said.

In Kushiro, Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, a local fisheries cooperative launched pickled sardine this spring, after poor saury catches. The product, which also includes pickled field mustard, carrot and kelp, has proved popular with consumers.

In Hokkaido, growth in catches of sardine, and mackerel, has prompted the prefectural government to launch a project aimed at increasing the use of the two kinds of fish. It plans to survey operations from fishing through retailing to work out ways to make good use of the bountiful fishery resources, including the development of new processed foods. Jiji Press