- The Japanese are known as lovers of shrimp and lobsters, particularly Ise-ebi, or Japanese spiny lobster (Palinurus japonicus). Because its meat is so good, it is very expensive. It can be prepared raw as sashimi, or served deep-fried, boiled, vinegared, or steamed. Partly because of its luxurious appearance, it has long been used as an ornament for special occasions such as New Year's Day and other celebrations.
- In the past, it was only found along the Pacific coast in small numbers, and was quite rare. More recently, however, live or frozen lobsters of the same variety have been imported in large quantities for the Japanese market, triggering growth in demand.
- Live Ise-ebi can still be found from Sendai or below:near Shimizu, Sotobo;Tanabe in Wakayama: south of Tokushima;and Nagasaki in Kyushu. They fetch \3,800-\4,000 per kilogram, but they account for only 10% of the total consumption in Japan;the remaining 90% are frozen imports.
- Because it is caught wild from the sea, the catch often varies greatly from year to year. For the same reason, the quantity of imports, too, varies greatly every year. Live, fresh or cold- stored lobsters (including homards) are imported from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.S.A., South Africa, Taiwan and France, and frozen lobsters, from Australia, Cuba, South Africa, Canada, India and the U.S.A. Those from Canada and the U.S.A. are mostly homards.
- Total imports in 1997 were \33,933,919,000. Of this figure, \12,350,855,000 or 36.4% were either live, fresh or cold-stored, and the remaining 63.6% or \2,183,064,000, were frozen.
Shown below are by country imports:
- Live, fresh or cold-stored
| 1. |
Australia |
\ 5,580,697,000 |
(45.2%) |
| 2. |
New Zealand
|
\ 2,460,536,000 |
(19.9%) |
| 3. |
Canada |
\ 2,073,113,000 |
(16.8%) |
| 4. |
U.S.A. |
\ 1,151,734,000 |
( 9.3%) |
| 5. |
South Africa |
\ 859,290,000 |
( 6.9%) |
| 6. |
Taiwan |
\ 106,939,000 |
( 0.9%) |
| 7. |
France |
\ 18,990,000 |
( 0.2%) |
| 8. |
Others |
\ 99,556,000 |
( 0.8%) |
|
Total |
\ 12,350,855,000
|
(100%) |
- Frozen
| 1. |
Australia |
\ 7,102,725,000 |
(32.9%) |
| 2. |
Cuba |
\ 3,738,111,000 |
(17.3%) |
| 3. |
South Africa
|
\ 2,693,627,000 |
(12.5%) |
| 4. |
Canada |
\ 2,078,546,000 |
( 9.6%) |
| 5. |
India |
\ 1,263,232,000 |
( 5.9%) |
| 6. |
U.S.A. |
\ 92,286,000 |
( 0.4%) |
| 7. |
Others |
\ 4,614,537,000 |
(21.4%) |
|
Total |
\ 21,583,064,000
|
(100%) |
- Imported lobsters from Australia and New Zealand are mostly large, with an average weight of 500g, whereas those from South Africa average 350g, and those from the Philippines and Indonesia, between 150 and 200g. Preferred colors are pink, dark pink and red. Blue or green ones are disliked.
- Though its market price changes because of natural fluctuations, rough current prices are as follows:Live, fresh or cold-stored:From Australia, C&F \3,200-\3,300 (kg);from New Zealand, \3,000-\3,100;and from South Africa, \2,600-\2,700. Frozen:From Australia, \1,700-\1,800;from South Africa, \1,200-\1,300, from the Philippines, \1,500;and from India and Indonesia, \900-\1,000.
As the above statistics show, the total annual catch by Australia (Western Australia is the main fishing grounds) is approx. 10,000 tons. Sixty percent is frozen, 30% live, and the remaining 10% headless. New Zealand has an annual catch of approx. 2,200 tons, with 90 % being live and 10% frozen. South Africa has a catch of around 2,000 tons, with 70% frozen and 30% live. Imports from India are 100% frozen. Indonesia and Thailand have only a small catch. Because they employ a diving catch method, Vietnam too has a very small output. With regard to imports, due care must be taken with their freshness and size.
- Japan does export live Ise-ebi, but in the small amount of \5,368,000. Their destinations are:
| 1. |
Taiwan |
\ 3,176,000
|
| 2. |
U.S.A. |
\ 1,505,000
|
| 3. |
Singapore
|
\ 687,000 |
It is assumed that Japanese restaurants in the above countries import them.
- The demand for lobsters is mainly for catering use, and high-ticket Japanese restaurants, hotels and others in the food-service industry are the main consumers of live lobsters. Frozen lobsters are often used for wedding receptions and parties. Because they are difficult to cook, they are rarely eaten at home, but an increasing number of families eat them at Christmas and New Year's Day. During Golden Week, the Obon holidays, summer holidays, and the year-end and New Year's holidays, consumption picks up. When the economy is in recession, frozen ones sell better than live ones.
- There are four major distribution channels:
- Wholesale markets in places where they are consumed -> Wholesalers -> Jobbers -> Retailers, the food-service industry;
- Processors -> Wholesalers -> Jobbers -> Retailers, the food-service industry;
- Imports bypass wholesalers to consumer markets, then to retailers and the food-service industry;and
- Directly supplied to processing businesses and food-service industry.
- Imports must undergo import procedures in accordance with the Quarantine Act (to prevent cholera virus) and the Food Sanitation Act (notice on imports of foods, etc.). They are also required to display type, size, quantity and the name of the packer on the corrugated boxes or packaging. When supermarkets and other mass merchandisers import them for distribution through their own outlets, they are required to display the expiration date, place of origin, address, name of processors business, whether they are live or frozen, how to store them, etc.
- Because domestic lobsters are supplied in limited quantities and are thus expensive, the percentage of imports is expected to grow further.
Source of figures:Japan Trade Monthly Returns
|
