Stories of
FUKUSHIMA

They are facing the challenge of getting back the pride of Fukushima, saving the environment and community which the youth and the government can be proud of through the lessons on the nuclear disasters brought by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Exchange of different fields beyond fishery
The Youth Department of Soma Futaba Fisherman's Association

Picture of Dragnet fishery

Dragnet fishery

The fish from Hama-dori, Fukushima had a good reputation and were called the "Jouban-mono (Jouban brand)", and they were traded at a high price in the Tsukiji fish market. The fish from Soma especially had a high reputation.
Therefore, Soma was well known in the area where many young people wanted to become fishermen. The tsunami and nuclear disaster did not only take the town itself, but they also took the fishery from the area. The fishermen in Soma voluntarily refrained from continuing their activity for a year and three months. Along with the test run in 2012, the area was also monitored to investigate the effects of radiation. Still, all of the fish caught from the sea need to be inspected for radiation damage. The fishery association in Fukushima prefecture put in place inspection standards that are more stringent than the Fukushima-set standards and distributed only the fish that exceeded these strict qualifications, however, the negative rumors failed to disappear.
In order to change the situation, Mr. Motofumi Kikuchi, the advisor of the youth department of the fisherman's association, called for younger fishermen to start a new project. They partnered with the brokers and tourism industry to send out the information on the good taste of the fish which were previously labeled as worthless. They have also developed fishery processed products using the recipes by fishermen and partnered with the farmers of Soma and the surrounding areas to send out the charm of Soma to urban areas. Mr. Kikuchi and his team try to make the area fun and pleasant by connecting with people of different fields beyond fishery. It means to let the nation and the world know that Fukushima has risen up after the nuclear damage. The idea is spreading among the young producers in Soma and the consumers in the urban areas who support it.

Contact: The Youth Department of Soma Futaba Fisherman's Association
196 Aza Oikawa, Obama, Soma city, Fukushima Prefecture

"Never forget you"from FUKUSHIMA

あなたを忘れない—福島から世界へ—