Small-scale Fisheries in Japan. Environmental and Socio-cultural Perspectives

This collection of essays brings together a range of various critical approaches, to provide an in-depth overview of the past and current status of small-scale fisheries in Japan. Covering different aspects of environmental, economic and cultural dimensions, the book attempts to map out some of the major themes relating to community-based fisheries-management systems, environmental sustainability, lottery systems for allocating fishing spots, fishing livelihoods, local knowledge, social vulnerability to environmental hazards, socioeconomic factors affecting small-scale fisheries development, history and nature of destructive fishing practices, women’s entrepreneurship in the seafood sector, traditional leadership systems, religious festivals, and power relationship between local communities and government agencies. The aim of this book is then to provide a comprehensive and multifaceted analysis of the cultural richness of this fishing sector, which still plays a key role in the broad academic debates focused on the potential small-scale fishery trajectories within the context of global scenarios.