Japan's underutilised fish find new buyers through e-commerce
From frozen ready-to-eat packs to mixed fresh fish boxes, lesser-known catches are finding new buyers as Japan’s seafood industry seeks better value.
- Underutilized fish, which typically have low market value, are gaining popularity in Japan through online sales platforms and mail-order services.
- Companies are making these fish more accessible by selling them as seasoned, ready-to-eat frozen products or in assorted fresh fish boxes directly from producers.
- The trend is particularly strong in urban areas, with consumer interest being boosted by social media videos demonstrating how to prepare the uncommon species.
Underutilised fish, often overlooked due to low market value or limited distribution, are gaining popularity in Japan through online sales.
Assorted products featuring whole fish that are unknown to consumers, compared with those of familiar species such as tuna and salmon, as well as other easy-to-use fish items, are also attracting demand.
The fisheries industry is seeking ways to make effective use of underutilised fish that are either not widely distributed as food or are too small to fetch prices at traditional markets.
Benners Inc. purchases fish in Fukuoka Prefecture in southwestern Japan and from other regions across the country and prepares them with a variety of seasonings. The company sells frozen, ready-to-eat products through its mail-order service, Fishlle! A set of six assorted packages is priced at 5,927 yen by subscription, including tax. The company handles more than 200 kinds of domestically sourced wild fish.
These include rabbitfish and other species that tend to fetch low or unstable prices in conventional markets. The fish are prepared with about 40 varieties of seasonings, including Japanese, Western and Chinese styles. Some products are designed to be eaten raw, requiring only thawing before being served over rice, company officials said. They added that these items are particularly popular.
Tokyo-based Vivid Garden Inc. operates the "Tabe Choku" website, which allows consumers to purchase farm and seafood products directly from producers. The platform has attracted about 1.3 million users, with about 20 pct having ordered seafood in recent years. Assorted fresh fish boxes often include underutilised species.
Orders are particularly strong in urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, and are mainly placed by customers comfortable preparing fish at home. Interest is also being fueled by social media videos showing how to cook uncommon fish, Vivid Garden CEO Rina Akimoto said.
"I never imagined that fish I didn't recognise could taste so good," one customer said after buying underutilised species such as green-eye fish and "gashaebi" shrimp.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
