Rising fuel costs drive fishermen to edge (Japan)

Fishermen across the nation emphasized the unprecedented hardships they are facing as a result of surging fuel prices during industrial action Tuesday, demanding that the government directly subsidize fishing boat fuel.

While about 200,000 fishing boats nationwide suspended operations Tuesday in an appeal to the government and consumers, the government is concerned that about potential solutions to the problem since there is still no end in sight for rising crude oil prices.

“As we have to ensure the catch stays sufficiently fresh, we can’t try to save fuel by lowering the speed of boats,” said Takio Fujii, head of a municipal fisheries co-op in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, off the coast of which the nation’s largest quantity of alfonsin is caught. “There’s almost nothing left we can do in response as fishermen.”

DailyYomiuri