More than 250,000 fishermen in Japan staged a one-day strike on July 15 to demand the government help the fishing industry survive by granting state subsidies.
Some 200,000 fishing boats did not fish while more than 4,000 fishermen from all over Japan gathered in downtown Tokyo for a rally holding signs that read, “Unable to fish” and “We need measures against surging fuel prices.”
The cost of fuel used for fishing boats has tripled since 2003 and eats up over half of a fisher’s operating costs. If oil reaches $150 dollars a barrel, it is estimated that 85,000 fishermen could lose their jobs.
“We are forced to consider stopping because we lose money every time we go fishing,” said Kenshi Usui, whose family has survived off fishing for 120 years. “With rising fuel prices, we don’t know how long we can stand it. We want to continue fishing.”
