Once wasted fish, now an opportunity to revitalize Goto city

Goto is a city in Nagasaki prefecture, consisting of 11 inhabited and 52 uninhabited islands. The city is in the westernmost area of the Kyushu Island; almost 1,000 kilometers west from Tokyo.

T-Point Japan co. ltd., a Japanese company engaged in technology services, launched a project in June 2018 called “Goto’s Fish Project.” The project aims to enhance the value of fish caught in Goto by developing new products that would be appreciated by consumers.

This project utilizes fish that are “unused” because their size is uneven, they are not well known, or the quantity is too small to form a production lot for distribution. In November, the project has produced a new product using this unused fish from Goto, called “Goto’s Fish Ham.”

Since the Tsushima Current passes around the Goto islands, a wide variety of fish can be caught there. However, many of them are not distributed for consumption and thrown away because the cost for keeping freshness and transportation is too high. Fish like “Aigo”, “Budai” and “nizadai” are well-known examples of unused fish. These fish consume seaweed, so the fish has a unique, ocean smell to it when you taste it; making it difficult for wide distribution. But these fish cause problems like sea desertification when the number grows too big. Therefore, in order to protect the ocean and to create a sustainable fishery, Goto’s Fish Project carried out product development to utilize these unused fish.

Lately, unused fish are utilized in various scenes throughout Japan, such as school lunch, local food menu and processed food. The city of Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture has used these fish for school lunch in elementary schools to reduce food waste since 2018. A cafeteria at a fish market in Nagasaki offers “Mottainai set meal” made of unused fish, and a fishery processing company in Ibaraki produces processed fish products with unused fish. Exploiting unused fish not only attracts people for their unfamiliarity, but it can become a strength for local regions by appealing the area’s uniqueness. Goto’s Fish Ham also aims to attract people to visit the islands by appealing consumers its differences.

Goto’s Fish Ham will be on sale at supermarkets across the country for approximately 300 yen (excluding tax). They will also be available to purchase online. The ingredients are mainly produced in Goto and contains no artificial additives. Simply roast the ham slightly and its ready to eat! Utilizing the unused fish is expected to revitalize Goto, by attracting people to visit Goto, as well as contributing to sustainable fishery and achieve SDGs.