Working on Food Resource Business

New Company to Farm Young Bluefin Tuna, Helping to Commercialize Complete Cultivation

Bluefin tuna feature prominently in the Japanese diet, but overfishing is threatening global tuna populations. To address this issue, Toyota Tsusho has entered a partnership with Kinki University, which has introduced the world's first system for the complete cultivation of bluefin tuna. We also established Tuna Dream Goto Co., Ltd., in the city of Goto, Nagasaki Prefecture, to provide a stable supply of bluefin tuna.

Growing Interest in "Complete Aquafarming," as Overfishing Causes Number of Bluefin Tuna Caught in the Wild to Fall

As bluefin tuna are one of the tastiest food fish, in recent years consumption throughout the world has increased. This has resulted in overfishing, which has caused catches to decline. The need to protect important natural marine resources while at the same time providing a steady supply of bluefin tuna to consumers has given rise to the need to boost production through fish farming. However, the farming of bluefin tuna as practiced in the past involved catching young tuna in the wild and cultivating them on preserves. This approach presented problems, both in terms of ensuring stable production and in preserving resources.

To address this issue, for more than 30 years Kinki University has been pursuing research on the "complete aquafarming" of tuna. Complete aquafarming refers to the artificial cultivation of fish throughout their lifecycles, from the hatching of eggs to the cultivation of young fish and raising adult fish that become parents themselves.

In 2002, Kinki University established the first complete aquafarming cycle. The results of this process are being shipped to Japanese fish farmers as "completely aquafarmed young tuna."

Established New Company in Nagasaki Prefecture's Goto Islands to Achieve Commercial Scale in Complete Aquafarming

Popularizing the complete aquafarming of bluefin tuna requires that farmed young tuna be raised in large numbers to ensure a stable supply. This scenario presents the need for large-scale investment in extensive preserves and an increased number of purchasers. For these reasons, Kinki University began looking outside the academic community for a partner in this business. This search coincided with the timing of Toyota Tsusho's own efforts to strengthen its food product business, and resulted in a technology agreement with the university involving the complete aquafarming of bluefin tuna. Under this alliance, Toyota Tsusho set up a new company to handle the intermediate cultivation of juvenile fish into young tuna. The peaceful, clean and extensive waters around the city of Goto, in Nagasaki Prefecture, were selected as the company's base of operations. As we worked toward the establishment of this new company, we looked for ways to contribute to local industry and ensure harmony with the local fishing population.

The new company, Tuna Dream Goto Co., Ltd., was established in June 2010. At a marine preserve established near the city of Goto, on the island of Fukuejima, the company is currently in the process of cultivating artificially incubated juvenile fish (around 6 cm in length) provided by Kinki University into young tuna (around 30 cm). December 2010 marked the first shipment of these young tuna to fish farmers. We look forward to expanding this business going forward.

Complete Cultivation and Supply of Farmed Bluefin Tuna

Tuna Dream Goto Co., Ltd., a Toyota Tsusho subsidiary, cultivates juvenile bluefin tuna acquired from Kinki University into young tuna, and then supplies them to Japanese fish farmers. The farmers then cultivate the fish until they reach market size, when they are sold to wholesalers and retailers before reaching the consumer.

Japan: The World's Largest Consumer of Tuna

Japan accounts for approximately 30% of the world's tuna consumption of around 2.08 million tons per year. Japan's domestic catch amounts to only about 210,000 tons of this amount; the remaining 370,000 tons is imported from a variety of countries, including Taiwan, Mediterranean countries and Australia. As the world's largest consumer of tuna, Japan bears a major responsibility for protecting tuna-related biodiversity.

We are shifting from "catching" to "cultivating," as we work to preserve biodiversity while ensuring a stable food supply.

From a biodiversity standpoint, bluefin tuna are an important species for protection. At the same time, we would like to ensure a stable supply of these tuna, as they are also an attractive source of food. Kinki University has helped to locate the key for solving this dilemma through its development of "complete aquafarming" technology for bluefin tuna.

Toyota Tsusho established a new company, Tuna Dream Goto Co., Ltd., to apply these "complete aquafarming" techniques to cultivate bluefin tuna.

In the past, fish farmers relied on the cultivation of natural tuna, which had been caught in the wild. This new method should contribute to their management stability.

Satoru Nishide
General Manager
Foodstuff Business Development Department
and President and Representative
Tuna Dream Goto Co., Ltd.

Stakeholder Comment

Ikuko Nakao Mayor of Goto
The city of Goto has worked with people throughout the region to establish itself as a base for the aquafarming of tuna, taking advantage of the natural abundance surrounding our island. I believe that the ability to provide a stable supply of juvenile fish suitable for farming in the ocean off Goto will prove a major benefit to our community. We look forward with anticipation to Tuna Dream Goto's success.

Shigeru Miyashita Fisheries Laboratory, Kinki University
The complete aquafarming technology for bluefin tuna that our laboratory has realized provides one potential solution to the problem of marine resource depletion. I see Tuna Dream Goto's operations in this business domain as a success of our efforts to support industry through research—a "social research" success. Through the complete aquafarming of bluefin tuna, we hope to help ensure the sustainability of the world's marine resources.

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