Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Fisheries Law and Local Rule
The Yaeyama Fisheries Cooperative Association (YFCA) generally claims use of
the coastal island waters to a depth of nearly 200 m; access to these waters is
granted only to qualified fishers. Certain coastal waters are only open to members
of the YFCA. In particular, the rights to harvest benthic (sea bed) plants and
animals, to utilize small-scale set nets, and for aquaculture are all restricted in
accordance with national fisheries legislation. According to this law, coastal resi-
dents are not formally authorized to exploit coastal resources unless they are mem-
bers of YFCA. In practice, however, these coastal dwellers have long done so,
especially through the use of tidal stone weirs. At the same time, non-YFCA
anglers and scuba divers have been using the Yaeyama Island waters for recre-
ational purposes since Okinawa was restored to mainland Japan.
Dispute of a New Airport and Local Rule in Shiraho
The Yaeyama Islands have become an increasingly popular tourist destination and
capital investment in the Yaeyama tourism product has expanded rapidly. Most
investors are based in the Japanese mainland, and are therefore not considered local.
Tension around the preferred path of development came to a head over the proposed
construction of a new airport at Shiraho on Ishigaki's Pacific coast. The new airport
was designed around a 2,000 m (about 6,500 ft.) runway that can accommodate the
take-off and landing of larger planes associated with mass tourism. The proposed
runway, however, would encroach upon traditional fishing grounds around the
Shiraho reef area, the rights to which belonged to the YFCA. Approval of the airport
plan therefore depended on a majority vote in favor of selling this portion of their fish-
ing grounds, which did occur, and airport construction was given final approval. The
local inhabitants of Shiraho, meanwhile, while supportive of the whole airport plan
in principle, strongly rejected the location of construction as proposed. They claimed
that, although they did not have voting rights as YFCA members since they were not
professional fishers, they were still entitled to exercise their local use rights to the
reefs that have historically sustained their community life.
The Shiraho airport controversy has thus broadened the discussion of just what
is meant by a “commons”, and to which people does it exactly correspond
(Kumamoto
1999
). Early discussions of the use and sustainable management of the
fishery commons were restricted and focused around the activities of professional
fishers, and did not take in the wide variety of small-scale marine harvesting
commonly undertaken by coastal inhabitants. Non-professional fisher folk have
historically made extensive use of reefs for subsistence and small commodity
production, harvesting seaweeds, gastropods, clam shells, octopus, and seasonal
reef fish. Small-scale gill net, cast net, night-time spear fishing with flashlights,
stone weirs, and coastal gleaning are the principal techniques employed by
non-professional fishers, both men and women.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search