【prologue】Japan's fish catches have fallen to one-third of their peak, and the clams that were harvested by "fishing" have fallen to just one-sixteenth of their peak.
From 12.82 million tons (1984) to 4.42 million tons (2018). According to the Fisheries Agency's "Fisheries White Paper 2019, " Japan's fish catch has fallen to one-third of its peak . In particular, clams, which amounted to 160,000 tons in 1983, have fallen to 10,000 tons, a drop of one-sixteenth of the peak.
Source: Fisheries Agency, "FY2019 Fisheries White Paper"
When converted into per capita figures for Japanese people, the fish catch has decreased from 106.0 kg to 35.4 kg, and the clam catch has dwindled from 1.32 kg to 0.13 kg.
Source: Website "Fish Lovers Japan" Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Fisheries and Aquaculture Production Statistics
Asari clams have been familiar to Japanese people since ancient times, as evidenced by the large number of clams excavated from Kaizuka. They were such a common shellfish in the Japanese diet that it is said that they got their name from the way they were picked, as if they were "fishing" for them.
The causes of this decline include rising sea temperatures and ecosystem changes due to global warming , overfishing , etc. In addition to the decline in seaweed beds that support the habitats of fish and shellfish, "ocecal oligotrophy" - a lack of nutrients in the seawater as a result of deforestation and the construction of dams and rivers - has also been pointed out.
Seaweed beds, also known as "sea forests ," are home to many underwater creatures and are a place for spawning and the development of young fish. Seaweed beds also play a role in breaking down organic matter in the water, as well as absorbing carbon dioxide and supplying oxygen. In the Seto Inland Sea, the number of seaweed beds has decreased by 70% in 30 years . The main factor behind this decline in seaweed beds is thought to be the nutrient deficiency of the ocean.
There is a company in Hakata Ward , Fukuoka City , working to solve environmental problems by turning chicken manure, which was previously treated as a nuisance, into "marine fertilizer," with the aim of eliminating malnutrition in the ocean and revitalizing seaweed beds. Torizen Oceans Co., Ltd. is a part of the Torizen Holdings Group, which is involved in the entire chicken Business, from raising chickens to processing, distribution, sales, and food and beverage. The company is in charge of the agricultural environment business.
A Business focused solely on chicken for over 70 years faces serious problems
Torizen Holdings, which is involved in a unique "chicken Business," traces its roots back to a "local chicken store" founded in Yoshizuka, Fukuoka City in 1949. Although the company expanded its business with the postwar economic growth, it faced difficulties in securing purchasing volume as sales increased. For this reason, it attempted to enter the "upstream strategy" of managing chicken farms. Although it initially faced a series of failures, it got the chicken farming business on track and rapidly expanded its business with the success of its brand chicken "Hanamidori."
While expanding its poultry farming business, the company also engaged in the food and beverage business, a "downstream strategy," including the Mizutaki restaurant "Hakata Hanamidori ." Currently, based in its hometown of Fukuoka, the company operates 38 stores (as of September 2020) in seven prefectures, including Ginza, Tokyo, and overseas.
The Torizen Holdings Group has built a "vertically integrated chicken Business model" that involves raising chickens, processing, distribution and sales, and food service, and raises 5.5 to 6 million chickens per year at its own and contracted chicken farms.
The chicken farm also produced 20,000 tons of chicken manure per year, which created a strong odor problem. Although the huge amount of chicken manure had previously been disposed of as industrial waste, the problem of how to dispose of the chicken manure became more serious as the business expanded.
Fertilizer made from chicken manure developed after much effort becomes "fertilizer for the ocean"
In fact, chicken manure is rich in organic matter such as nitrogen and phosphorus, making it ideal as fertilizer . Focusing on this point, in 2011, we began research and development into recycling chicken manure into agricultural fertilizer by removing odors and E. coli.
The strong odor peculiar to chicken manure, which was a difficult problem, was tackled with a unique live bacteria treatment using bio-bacteria. After much trial and error, they succeeded in developing the bio-extract "Hanasansan," which completely fermented the chicken manure and solved the odor problem.
"Kahora", an agricultural fertilizer made from chicken manure through a unique bio-processing process, was released as a regular agricultural fertilizer certified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. However, the agricultural fertilizer market was highly competitive and mature, so the new entrants had a hard time selling the product.
While chicken manure continues to increase, sales of expensive regular fertilizers in the agricultural sector have not increased, and the situation has become a "manure clog." In the midst of this, with the cooperation of a local environmental NPO, they tried to purify the sludge using the soil improving effect of the microorganisms contained in the bio-extract "Kasansan," and a reporter from an industry newspaper came to interview them.
The reporter told me about the problem of malnutrition in the ocean, and introduced me to the Seto Inland Sea Fisheries Research Institute and Professor Emeritus Tamiji Yamamoto of Hiroshima University. These encounters led me to start research and development into turning chicken manure-based agricultural fertilizer into "ocean fertilizer."
The biggest concern with fertilizing the ocean was the red tide that would occur if large amounts of organic matter such as nitrogen and phosphorus were added to the ocean. By mixing biologically treated chicken manure with iron powder and magnesium oxide, they succeeded in solidifying it into blocks and commercializing it.
The marine nutrient block "MOFU-DX" has solved the problem of red tides by slowly and persistently dissolving nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. It also makes it possible to sustainably grow plankton and bacteria, and is attracting attention as an environmental product that can solve the problem of oligotrophy in the ocean.
Koichi Fukuoka, Manufacturing and Development Manager at Torizen Oceans Co., Ltd., had this to say:
Fukuoka Department Head
As a result, they have come to realize the joy of being able to contribute to creating a rich ocean, while also coming to understand the difficulty of spreading chicken manure, which was previously treated as a nuisance, throughout society.
Collaborative research with Hiroshima University attracts national attention through reports from NHK and other media
Research and development of the innovative marine nutrient block was launched as an industry-academia collaboration project with the Graduate School of Integrated Life Sciences, Hiroshima University. Its performance was evaluated and improvements were measured at the Takehara Station of the Setouchi Field Science Education and Research Center of the same university, and further improvements were confirmed in demonstration experiments in the Seto Inland Sea (Onomichi City and Hatsukaichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture) and the Ariake Sea (Tamana City in Kumamoto Prefecture).
As this series of efforts was covered by the media, including NHK, and the existence of marine nutrient blocks became known nationwide, inquiries began to come in from fishing companies, fishing cooperatives, local governments, and other organizations across the country that were facing similar problems.
Yoshihiro Kawazu, president of Torizen Oceans Co., Ltd., said the following:
President Kawazu
As the world's population and economy continue to grow in the future, chicken farming and egg production will increase, and as a result, chicken manure will also increase. Our efforts can be said to be in line with the SDGs, which aim to create a sustainable society .
【epilogue】A businessman featured on "Cambrian Palace" tries to solve environmental problems using chicken manure, a "nuisance"
President Kawazu appeared as the chairman of Torizen Foods on the popular TV program "Cambrian Palace" broadcast on March 14, 2019. He wrote that his motto is " Fortunes turn into opportunities ," which means that happiness and misfortune in life are difficult to predict. It is not clear when happiness will turn into misfortune, or when misfortune will turn into happiness.
The chicken manure disposal issue prompted the development of agricultural fertilizer made from chicken manure . Later, poor sales prompted the company to take on the challenge of "sea fertilizer," and they created marine nutrient blocks made from chicken manure .
President Kawazu, who has the desire to " make a difference in Japan's fishing industry ," " fertilize the impoverished ocean with chicken manure ," and " revive the ocean's bounty, " is prepared to devote the rest of his life to working to eliminate "ocean malnutrition."
The author believes that the future of the With-COVID and Post-COVID eras is uncertain, and that we need the courage to take a step forward while holding on to our own thoughts , dreams, and aspirations. Now, we need to have the courage to take action in order to create our own future .
<Reference site>
Fisheries Agency "FY2019 Fisheries White Paper"
Fisheries Agency "The Function and Current Status of Seaweed Beds"
Maruha Nichiro WEB Magazine "Creating the Future of the Ocean and Life" "Clams are not only delicious, they also help protect the marine environment" (March 28, 2019)
Fish Lovers Japan: The definitive guide to choosing and removing sand from clams, which are in season in autumn
Torizen Oceans Co., Ltd. Website
