On a late February afternoon, 66-year-old Masakazu Haga prepared mackerel at his new temporary fish processing compound, erected on elevated ground in the Akahama district facing Otsuchi Bay in Iwate Prefecture. The compound stands out because it’s one of the few new structures in this town devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and a fire that followed.
Like many who lived along the coast of the Tohoku region, Haga lost his livelihood to the massive waves. After nearly a year, he, as well as few other local fish processors, with financial support from individual donors as well as the central and local governments, finally managed to secure space and equipment to restart his business.
But the expression on Haga’s face was less than radiant, despite how far he had come.
“It was a year that started in despair, and now I see a ray of hope, maybe. But maybe not. . . . It’s complicated, you know? Very complicated,” he said.
Haga’s mixed feelings may resonate with many Tohoku fishermen, farmers and others working in the industries that have supported their local economies. Despite their strenuous efforts to rebuild, the damage done has yet to be overcome.
People in the businesses that rely on the region’s fisheries are anxious and irritated because the more time it takes to recover, the harder it becomes to restore the industry, which was shrinking even before March 11.
According to the fisheries agency, the cost to the industry including everything from damage to fishing vessels, ports, fish farming facilities to fish processing businesses totaled some ¥1.26 trillion in the seven affected prefectures facing the Pacific. Of the 319 fishing ports that were submerged, 250 were located in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures.
The central government has so far devoted ¥818.3 billion to the restoration of the fisheries industry.
According to the latest figures released Feb. 8 by the agency, debris in the water and the facilities have been removed from most ports.
Berths, wharves and shipping lanes have been repaired to enable fishing vessels to bring in their catches. Of the 29,000 damaged fishing vessels, around 7,300 have been fixed so far.
About half of the grounds for harvesting seaweed and other products have been restored in Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, agency figures show.
Restoring such marine infrastructure continues to be a pressing need, but at the same time, industry observers say rebuilding the fish processing business is crucial if the ports are to once again handle catches of the size they once did.
This is especially true for major ports such as Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture, where fishing vessels from all over Japan bring in their catches, including bonito, saury and sharks.
The Japan Times Ltd