鹿児島大学 水産学部

Faculty of Fisheries /
Postgraduate School of Fisheries, Kagoshima University

Fisheries Economics

Management and Marketing in the Fishing Industry
We study not in the laboratory, but in the real industrial world.
We want to know the realities of human activities in the fisheries.


Students experience the life of real fishingvillages in the training program.

Students must go out into the real industrial societies in their own research activities.

Mission of the group

Mission of our group is to foster students who have strong interests, responsibility and enough knowledge about seafood marketing and fishing industry management.
We want to develop human resources in the field of food business (ex. international trading companies, food processing companies, distributers and retailers) and fisheries administration (ex. national or local government, fisheries cooperative association and fisheries companies)

Educational feature

~2 objectives:Marketing and Management, policy : close contact with real industrial society ~

1. In the fisheries marketing course, students study about the realities and prospects of the distribution structure, processing industry and consumption of marine products. They are expected to have professional knowledge about the distribution and consumption of marine products. They also study not only from domestic but also from global perspectives. In order to develop professional human resources in this field, we are always in close contact with real food industries, such as food distribution companies or processing companies. We try to give our students correct recognition and broad vision about food business in marine products.
2. In the fisheries management course, students study about Japanese fishing industry broadly. In particular, the promotion of the economical conditions of fishing villages, environmental issues and resource management in the fisheries, administration of fishing industry and lots of policies in Japanese fishing industry are main targets. In order to develop professional human resources in this field, we are always in close contact with real fishing industry, such as small fisheries cooperative associations, small fishing households or local governments in Kagoshima prefecture. We try to give our students not only wide knowledge of real fishing industry but also correct insight about the future of fisheries industry.

Research Activities

1. Studies on the international trading and domestic distribution of marine products ; considering the efficient distribution channel and proper price formation mechanism.
2. Studies on the processing industries such as dried bonito ; considering the problems of their value chains and proper measures in order to survive at the global competition.
3. Studies on the consumption of marine products ; considering how to promote the consumption of marine products in Japan and preserve our food culture from collapsing.
4. Studies on the fisheries management ; considering how to administrate some sustainable fishery management organizations or to make some good management schemes and restrictions.
5. Studies on the survival of fishing communities ; considering how to make vibrant communities in the coastal areas based with coastal fisheries and aquaculture.
6. Studies on the labor problems and technology lore problem ; considering how to ensure the labor and successors in the fishing industries in order to make our fisheries sustainable.

Teaching Staff

Professor Masaaki SANO [Fisheries economics and marketing]
Yoshiaki SAKUMA [Economics of sustainable fishery systems, Bioeconomic analysis of fisheries]
Assoc. Prof. Mizuho KUGA [Fisheries marketing]
Takashi TORI [Fisheries economics]
Asst. Prof. Takafumi SASAKI [Fisheries Policy]