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Since the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on Friday, the entire coastline between the ports of Aomori and Chosi has seen severely damaged.
Numerous fishing boats, processing plants and fish farms have disappeared or been severely harmed, and the fishing fleet has ceased operating in the north due to alerts of possible additional tsunamis. In the areas where the tsunami caused the most damage – the ports of Hachinohe, Rikuzen-Takada, Kesennuma, Ofunato, Ishinomaki, Siogama, Shitigahama and Onahama - most vessels will not be able to operate for several weeks as a result of the absence of crew members and supplies. It is expected that most ports will not be functional for several months.
The Hindu Business Line said the tsunami would rock the $2-billion Indian seafood export industry. The North-Eastern city of Sendai in Japan, the epicentre of the quake and tsunami, was a bustling city full of seafood factories and processing units with which Indian exporters had direct links, Mr Anwar Hashim, President of the Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI), is quoted as saying.
While admitting that seafood exports to Sendai would be immediately affected, Mr Hashim pointed out that the impact on other export destinations such as Tokyo and Osaka has been on a far lower scale and trade with these destinations could revive faster. For the moment, all trade and commerce with Japan could come to a halt.
The impact in India would be most on shrimp farmers off the coast of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa and West Bengal. Black tiger shrimps which are reared and harvested by these coastal farmers are much in demand and the major constituent of seafood exports to Japan.
Frozen large de-veined black tiger shrimps are a high-value delicacy in Japanese markets fetching high returns to the Indian farmer and the exporter.
The setback for Indian seafood exports comes on the back of recession in Europe, the biggest seafood export destination for India, appreciation in the value of the rupee against the euro and the economic collapse of Greece, Spain and Portugal. However, export figures for
April-December 2010 suggest that Europe was still able to retain the top slot accounting for 26.14 per cent of the total seafood export realisation.
Meanwhile, in Australia, shipments of Tasmanian salmon to Japan have been put on temporary hold. Managing director of salmon producer Huon Aquaculture Peter Bender told ABC Rural that a shipment that was to go on the weekend is now in Melbourne, while they wait for airports to allow for things other than medical supplies into the country. He said Japan would need to continue to import food, despite the crisis.
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