As the catch in the waters around Japan continues to decline due to factors such as climate change, the scale of "land-based aquaculture" that uses large land-based ponds to raise salmon and other aquatic products is expanding.

As plans for related facility construction are pushed forward, production has almost doubled in the four years from 2019 to 2023. What is particularly noteworthy is that multiple industries across Japan, including non-coastal prefectures, are competing to enter this field.

Land-based farming with low barriers to entry

Land-based aquaculture uses artificially constructed ponds. It can be operated on idle land and does not require fishing rights, so it is relatively easy for ordinary companies to participate. Aquaculture methods include "direct flow" using natural water and "closed loop" using filtered water. In 2020, the Japanese government formulated a comprehensive strategy to make aquaculture a growth industry. As one of the measures, it is actively working to revitalize land-based aquaculture.

Land-based aquaculture continues to expand

According to estimates by Fuji Keizai Group, a private research organization, the output of aquatic products from land-based aquaculture will reach 2,250 tons in 2023, equivalent to 1.9 times that of 2019, and is expected to increase to nearly 30 times that of 2019 in 2030. The proportion of fish in land-based aquaculture in the total farmed fish in 2023 is only 0.2%, and it is expected to increase to 3.6% by 2030. The market size of system equipment materials in 2023 is 13.5 billion yen, an increase of 10.4 times from 2019.

JR West has been engaged in land-based farming of fish such as mackerel since 2017 and is seeking to develop a brand. Saitama Prefecture, which is an inland prefecture, is cultivating mackerel and sea urchins, while Hokkaido, which is famous for its abundant seafood, is farming salmon inland to alleviate the problem of declining catches. Maruha Nichiru and Mitsubishi Corporation plan to establish a joint venture to build factory facilities and strive to start land-based farming of Atlantic salmon in Toyama Prefecture from 2025.

Reduce water temperature changes and red tide risks

As people's health awareness improves and the population continues to grow, the global demand for aquatic products continues to expand. Coupled with the impact of climate change and overfishing, the catch in the waters around Japan has decreased, and the fish species have also changed. Some people point out that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Japanese people to eat seafood. If it is marine aquaculture, it is difficult to open up new offshore waters for aquaculture activities, and there are problems such as water temperature changes, red tides, and marine pollution caused by feed and feces. There will be great obstacles to expanding the scale in the future.

Land-based aquaculture can reduce the impact of water temperature changes and red tides by adjusting the water temperature, feed feeding, oxygen content and other breeding environments, and can control the impact on wastewater discharge. Although there are risks such as power outages and infectious diseases in the pool, with the development of battery technology and the improvement of hygiene management, the increase in production is expected.

In order to grasp the situation of rapidly developing land-based aquaculture farms and seek support and revitalization, the Japanese Fisheries Agency introduced a reporting system in April last year. The results showed that there were 662 such farms in the country in January this year. From the perspective of prefectures, Okinawa Prefecture had the most, with 168, followed by Oita Prefecture (55) and Kagoshima Prefecture (35).

Salmon and whiteleg shrimp show outstanding growth

Data from the Fisheries Agency and other departments show that some aquatic products such as sea grapes, flounder, and redfin pufferfish have been farmed on land since an early period, and in recent years, the scale of land-based farming of salmon, which is popular in conveyor belt sushi and other fields, has continued to expand. Data from the Fuji Economic Group shows that in 2023, the land-based farming volume of salmon and trout, including salmon, reached 2.3 times that of 2019.

The white shrimp with a shorter breeding cycle is also gaining more and more attention. Species with mature breeding methods or high added value are popular choices.

High costs and branding issues

Land-based aquaculture requires a large initial investment in facilities construction, and also has high operating costs such as electricity costs. Some people point out that in order for the industry to continue to develop, it must achieve high added value based on branding.

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Source: Nippon.com (translated from original in japanese)