Zenbird Editorial TeamIn November of 2022, Fish and Planet Co. Ltd. (F&P) and the Miyagi Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative Kitakamicho Jusanhama Branch Youth Group, a group of 19 seaweed and kelp cultivators, including two corporations, achieved a major milestone in their pursuit of sustainable and responsible seaweed farming practices. They became the first in Japan to receive the ASC-MSC seaweed (algae) certification, which is an international recognition of environmentally friendly and socially responsible seaweed farming and resource extraction.
The Youth Group produces an average of 180 tons of wakame seaweed and 120 tons of kelp each year, which F&P purchases at a fair and stable price. Together, the two organizations work to develop and sell these certified products to consumers who value sustainability, both in Japan and abroad. In the future, they plan to sell their certified seaweed at organic supermarkets and mass retailers in Japan.
The certification was acquired in response to the growing concerns about the state of the world’s marine environment and the decline of fishing industries. The Youth Group, which has been farming seaweed and kelp in Jusanhama, Kitakamicho, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture for over 70 years, was determined to leave a sustainable and rich fishery industry and marine environment for future generations. Meanwhile, F&P has a social vision of promoting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, and preserving marine resources and the global environment.
F&P and the Youth Group met in September 2020 and shared the same concerns about these issues. They decided to work together to achieve the ASC-MSC seaweed (algae) certification for the seaweed and kelp farmed by the Youth Group. F&P supported the practical and financial aspects of the certification process, which was completed in November 2022.
The Miyagi Prefecture Fisheries Cooperative Kitakamicho Jusanhama Branch Youth Group is a group of 19 producers, including two legal entities, who cultivate wakame seaweed and kelp. Despite losing their aquaculture facilities in the 2011 tsunami, the Youth Group persevered and now the third generation of the group has continued the tradition of cultivating seaweed and kelp in Jusanhama.
Fish and Planet Co. was originally founded as a fresh fish shop in Asakusa, Tokyo during the Edo period. Over the years, it has evolved into a social enterprise with a mission to preserve the culture of eating fish and tempura for future generations. F&P is dedicated to promoting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and preserving marine resources and the global environment. It has been recognized for its leadership in this area, winning the 4th Japan Sustainable Seafood Awards Leadership Category.
[Website] Fish & Planet Website
