Farm's future: A scallop farmer in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, holds young scallops on Sept. 8. The quake-tsunami disaster wiped out most of the farm's fully grown scallops, and it will take three to four years before the young ones are ready for sale. KYODOThe huge tsunami spawned by the March 11 quake destroyed two of his fishing boats and his warehouse in a matter of minutes. The town's fish market was also wrecked and piles of debris remain untouched at the port in the city's Taro district.Fujita has joined with other fishermen to place an order for a new vessel — but doesn't know when it will arrive or even when the port will reopen and he can resume fishing."I feel anxious every day," Fujita said. "What is going to happen in the future?"Iwate's coastal towns are renowned for their fishing businesses, thanks to the Kuroshio Current from the south and the Oyashio and Tsugaru currents from the north that meet off the prefecture.Taro fishermen primarily catch salmon, and harvest kelp, abalone and wakame seaweed. But the March tsunami destroyed about 900 of the city's 960 boats, along with the fish market, as well as most of the wakame processing factories, refueling facilities and cranes.It also wrecked portions of the huge tide embankments — locally dubbed the "Great Walls" — that had been erected to protect the city from tsunami.The March disasters caused an estimated ¥7.5 billion in damage, according to a local fisheries cooperative association, which is trying to rebuild processing facilities, install new cranes and resume wakame cultivation.But local fishermen have no idea when they will receive their new vessels.The central and local governments, together with local fisheries associations, are subsidizing nearly the full cost of purchasing new vessels for fishermen in devastated coastal communities such as Miyako.But this has generated a massive amount of orders for new fishing boats all along the Tohoku region's tsunami-hit coast, and manufacturers are unable to meet the surge in demand, meaning the fishermen have to wait."Those in the fishing business can't do anything until they receive their new boats," said Masahiko Hatakeyama, a 43-year-old official in Taro's local fisheries cooperative association in Miyako.Hatakeyama is worried that less than 100 boats for fishing abalone — compared with the 540 before the tsunami struck — will be built and delivered to the tsunami-wrecked town before November, the peak season for catching abalone.In Otsuchi, about 50 km south along Iwate's coast, only 30 of the town's 650 fishing boats survived the catastrophe, according to the local fisheries cooperative association.All sea farm facilities were also destroyed and there are no plans to rebuild two of the town's four fishing ports in the near future, the association said, adding total damages to its fisheries industry are expected to total billions of yen.The association said it plans to harvest wakame seaweed next spring, but just as in Miyako, a shortage of vessels is preventing the town's fisheries industry from recovering.According to the Iwate Prefectural Government, out of the 111 fishing ports in the prefecture, 108 had their seawalls or moorings destroyed, and a total of 9,672 fishing vessels were destroyed by the tsunami. Nearly all of Iwate's fish markets, fisheries processing facilities and sea farms were also damaged, it said.The total amount of damages to the fisheries industry in Iwate Prefecture was estimated at more than ¥371.5 billion as of Sept. 2.The central government has said that 319 fishing ports in seven prefectures ranging from Hokkaido to Chiba — about 10 percent of the country's 2,914 fishing ports — were damaged in the March disasters.But the coastal towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures bore the full impact of the monster waves, and nearly all of their ports were destroyed or severely damaged.In addition, debris from the catastrophe, estimated at tens of millions of tons, is still floating off the coast or washing up at ports, the central government said.Farms that cultivate sea products such as wakame, kelp, oysters and scallops, as well as large fixed fishing nets, were all damaged on March 11, it said.The Iwate Prefectural Government said it is building temporary tide embankments and other port facilities, and has helped eight fish markets to reopen.It also said 17 local fisheries cooperative associations are working to resume operations at sea farm facilities."We will restore (fisheries industry infrastructure) so that local fishermen can resume their fishing operations," said Koen Osawa, a prefectural government official.The central government plans to remove debris floating dangerously in ship lanes and near ports by the end of the current fiscal year, which ends next March, and restore most of the ruined port facilities by the end of fiscal 2013. It also aims to rebuild sea farms and large fixed fishing nets by the end of the fiscal 2012.But the needs of local fishermen are not being fully addressed as central government officials have made few, if any, visits to damaged ports, the Otsuchi fisheries association said.For example, the government is offering subsidies for fishermen to buy new boats, but while port facilities remain damaged they will be unable to process their catches, the association said.Masato Koshita, an official at the association, called on central government officials to visit wrecked ports and inspect the damage firsthand before drawing up measures to revive the local fishing industry.Some fishermen say they have already given up hope of continuing their business.They include a 77-year-old Otsuchi fisherman who lost his job when his employer's vessel was swept away by the tsunami. As his employer has been hospitalized since the disasters, the prospects of restarting his business appear dim.His 75-year-old wife said she often sees people on television encouraging tsunami-hit communities to hang in there, but what they need to survive is money, not kind words.The fish market near her temporary housing unit was completely destroyed in March, and all that remains are mountains of debris and twisted iron bars used to reinforce concrete."As there are no longer any fishing boats, (the local fisheries industry) will not survive," she said. "No one can survive nature's power."2011年9月24日土曜日
Iwate fisheries continue struggle to recover
MIYAKO, Iwate Pref. — One rainy day in early September, Shigeru Fujita, a 62-year-old fisherman, gazed at the devastated fishing port in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture.Farm's future: A scallop farmer in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, holds young scallops on Sept. 8. The quake-tsunami disaster wiped out most of the farm's fully grown scallops, and it will take three to four years before the young ones are ready for sale. KYODOThe huge tsunami spawned by the March 11 quake destroyed two of his fishing boats and his warehouse in a matter of minutes. The town's fish market was also wrecked and piles of debris remain untouched at the port in the city's Taro district.Fujita has joined with other fishermen to place an order for a new vessel — but doesn't know when it will arrive or even when the port will reopen and he can resume fishing."I feel anxious every day," Fujita said. "What is going to happen in the future?"Iwate's coastal towns are renowned for their fishing businesses, thanks to the Kuroshio Current from the south and the Oyashio and Tsugaru currents from the north that meet off the prefecture.Taro fishermen primarily catch salmon, and harvest kelp, abalone and wakame seaweed. But the March tsunami destroyed about 900 of the city's 960 boats, along with the fish market, as well as most of the wakame processing factories, refueling facilities and cranes.It also wrecked portions of the huge tide embankments — locally dubbed the "Great Walls" — that had been erected to protect the city from tsunami.The March disasters caused an estimated ¥7.5 billion in damage, according to a local fisheries cooperative association, which is trying to rebuild processing facilities, install new cranes and resume wakame cultivation.But local fishermen have no idea when they will receive their new vessels.The central and local governments, together with local fisheries associations, are subsidizing nearly the full cost of purchasing new vessels for fishermen in devastated coastal communities such as Miyako.But this has generated a massive amount of orders for new fishing boats all along the Tohoku region's tsunami-hit coast, and manufacturers are unable to meet the surge in demand, meaning the fishermen have to wait."Those in the fishing business can't do anything until they receive their new boats," said Masahiko Hatakeyama, a 43-year-old official in Taro's local fisheries cooperative association in Miyako.Hatakeyama is worried that less than 100 boats for fishing abalone — compared with the 540 before the tsunami struck — will be built and delivered to the tsunami-wrecked town before November, the peak season for catching abalone.In Otsuchi, about 50 km south along Iwate's coast, only 30 of the town's 650 fishing boats survived the catastrophe, according to the local fisheries cooperative association.All sea farm facilities were also destroyed and there are no plans to rebuild two of the town's four fishing ports in the near future, the association said, adding total damages to its fisheries industry are expected to total billions of yen.The association said it plans to harvest wakame seaweed next spring, but just as in Miyako, a shortage of vessels is preventing the town's fisheries industry from recovering.According to the Iwate Prefectural Government, out of the 111 fishing ports in the prefecture, 108 had their seawalls or moorings destroyed, and a total of 9,672 fishing vessels were destroyed by the tsunami. Nearly all of Iwate's fish markets, fisheries processing facilities and sea farms were also damaged, it said.The total amount of damages to the fisheries industry in Iwate Prefecture was estimated at more than ¥371.5 billion as of Sept. 2.The central government has said that 319 fishing ports in seven prefectures ranging from Hokkaido to Chiba — about 10 percent of the country's 2,914 fishing ports — were damaged in the March disasters.But the coastal towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures bore the full impact of the monster waves, and nearly all of their ports were destroyed or severely damaged.In addition, debris from the catastrophe, estimated at tens of millions of tons, is still floating off the coast or washing up at ports, the central government said.Farms that cultivate sea products such as wakame, kelp, oysters and scallops, as well as large fixed fishing nets, were all damaged on March 11, it said.The Iwate Prefectural Government said it is building temporary tide embankments and other port facilities, and has helped eight fish markets to reopen.It also said 17 local fisheries cooperative associations are working to resume operations at sea farm facilities."We will restore (fisheries industry infrastructure) so that local fishermen can resume their fishing operations," said Koen Osawa, a prefectural government official.The central government plans to remove debris floating dangerously in ship lanes and near ports by the end of the current fiscal year, which ends next March, and restore most of the ruined port facilities by the end of fiscal 2013. It also aims to rebuild sea farms and large fixed fishing nets by the end of the fiscal 2012.But the needs of local fishermen are not being fully addressed as central government officials have made few, if any, visits to damaged ports, the Otsuchi fisheries association said.For example, the government is offering subsidies for fishermen to buy new boats, but while port facilities remain damaged they will be unable to process their catches, the association said.Masato Koshita, an official at the association, called on central government officials to visit wrecked ports and inspect the damage firsthand before drawing up measures to revive the local fishing industry.Some fishermen say they have already given up hope of continuing their business.They include a 77-year-old Otsuchi fisherman who lost his job when his employer's vessel was swept away by the tsunami. As his employer has been hospitalized since the disasters, the prospects of restarting his business appear dim.His 75-year-old wife said she often sees people on television encouraging tsunami-hit communities to hang in there, but what they need to survive is money, not kind words.The fish market near her temporary housing unit was completely destroyed in March, and all that remains are mountains of debris and twisted iron bars used to reinforce concrete."As there are no longer any fishing boats, (the local fisheries industry) will not survive," she said. "No one can survive nature's power."
Farm's future: A scallop farmer in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, holds young scallops on Sept. 8. The quake-tsunami disaster wiped out most of the farm's fully grown scallops, and it will take three to four years before the young ones are ready for sale. KYODOThe huge tsunami spawned by the March 11 quake destroyed two of his fishing boats and his warehouse in a matter of minutes. The town's fish market was also wrecked and piles of debris remain untouched at the port in the city's Taro district.Fujita has joined with other fishermen to place an order for a new vessel — but doesn't know when it will arrive or even when the port will reopen and he can resume fishing."I feel anxious every day," Fujita said. "What is going to happen in the future?"Iwate's coastal towns are renowned for their fishing businesses, thanks to the Kuroshio Current from the south and the Oyashio and Tsugaru currents from the north that meet off the prefecture.Taro fishermen primarily catch salmon, and harvest kelp, abalone and wakame seaweed. But the March tsunami destroyed about 900 of the city's 960 boats, along with the fish market, as well as most of the wakame processing factories, refueling facilities and cranes.It also wrecked portions of the huge tide embankments — locally dubbed the "Great Walls" — that had been erected to protect the city from tsunami.The March disasters caused an estimated ¥7.5 billion in damage, according to a local fisheries cooperative association, which is trying to rebuild processing facilities, install new cranes and resume wakame cultivation.But local fishermen have no idea when they will receive their new vessels.The central and local governments, together with local fisheries associations, are subsidizing nearly the full cost of purchasing new vessels for fishermen in devastated coastal communities such as Miyako.But this has generated a massive amount of orders for new fishing boats all along the Tohoku region's tsunami-hit coast, and manufacturers are unable to meet the surge in demand, meaning the fishermen have to wait."Those in the fishing business can't do anything until they receive their new boats," said Masahiko Hatakeyama, a 43-year-old official in Taro's local fisheries cooperative association in Miyako.Hatakeyama is worried that less than 100 boats for fishing abalone — compared with the 540 before the tsunami struck — will be built and delivered to the tsunami-wrecked town before November, the peak season for catching abalone.In Otsuchi, about 50 km south along Iwate's coast, only 30 of the town's 650 fishing boats survived the catastrophe, according to the local fisheries cooperative association.All sea farm facilities were also destroyed and there are no plans to rebuild two of the town's four fishing ports in the near future, the association said, adding total damages to its fisheries industry are expected to total billions of yen.The association said it plans to harvest wakame seaweed next spring, but just as in Miyako, a shortage of vessels is preventing the town's fisheries industry from recovering.According to the Iwate Prefectural Government, out of the 111 fishing ports in the prefecture, 108 had their seawalls or moorings destroyed, and a total of 9,672 fishing vessels were destroyed by the tsunami. Nearly all of Iwate's fish markets, fisheries processing facilities and sea farms were also damaged, it said.The total amount of damages to the fisheries industry in Iwate Prefecture was estimated at more than ¥371.5 billion as of Sept. 2.The central government has said that 319 fishing ports in seven prefectures ranging from Hokkaido to Chiba — about 10 percent of the country's 2,914 fishing ports — were damaged in the March disasters.But the coastal towns in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures bore the full impact of the monster waves, and nearly all of their ports were destroyed or severely damaged.In addition, debris from the catastrophe, estimated at tens of millions of tons, is still floating off the coast or washing up at ports, the central government said.Farms that cultivate sea products such as wakame, kelp, oysters and scallops, as well as large fixed fishing nets, were all damaged on March 11, it said.The Iwate Prefectural Government said it is building temporary tide embankments and other port facilities, and has helped eight fish markets to reopen.It also said 17 local fisheries cooperative associations are working to resume operations at sea farm facilities."We will restore (fisheries industry infrastructure) so that local fishermen can resume their fishing operations," said Koen Osawa, a prefectural government official.The central government plans to remove debris floating dangerously in ship lanes and near ports by the end of the current fiscal year, which ends next March, and restore most of the ruined port facilities by the end of fiscal 2013. It also aims to rebuild sea farms and large fixed fishing nets by the end of the fiscal 2012.But the needs of local fishermen are not being fully addressed as central government officials have made few, if any, visits to damaged ports, the Otsuchi fisheries association said.For example, the government is offering subsidies for fishermen to buy new boats, but while port facilities remain damaged they will be unable to process their catches, the association said.Masato Koshita, an official at the association, called on central government officials to visit wrecked ports and inspect the damage firsthand before drawing up measures to revive the local fishing industry.Some fishermen say they have already given up hope of continuing their business.They include a 77-year-old Otsuchi fisherman who lost his job when his employer's vessel was swept away by the tsunami. As his employer has been hospitalized since the disasters, the prospects of restarting his business appear dim.His 75-year-old wife said she often sees people on television encouraging tsunami-hit communities to hang in there, but what they need to survive is money, not kind words.The fish market near her temporary housing unit was completely destroyed in March, and all that remains are mountains of debris and twisted iron bars used to reinforce concrete."As there are no longer any fishing boats, (the local fisheries industry) will not survive," she said. "No one can survive nature's power."
2011年8月16日火曜日
Stocks recover as calm descends, Google's big deal (AP)
MILAN – Global stocks continued their rebound Monday on hopes that the recent sharp volatility in the markets has run its course following a run of stronger than anticipated economic data and after Google announced a $12.5 billion deal.
Though concerns remain over the state of the global economy and Europe's debt crisis, many investors think the recent sell-off has been overdone and are snapping up potential bargains.
"Some stability appears to be returning to markets .... but businesses remain wary that the U.S. government isn't doing enough to arrest its massive budget deficit and that European governments aren't doing enough to avert financial contagion from infecting the banking system," said Sal Guatieri, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets.
The calmer mood has been helped by last Friday's better than expected U.S. retail sales figures for July and news earlier that Japan contracted by an annualized rate of 1.3 percent in the second quarter of the year after the impact of a devastating earthquake and tsunami. The consensus in the markets was that Japan's economy would have shrunk by at least double that rate.
Sentiment in the markets was also boosted by the news that Google Inc. is buying cell phone maker Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. for $12.5 billion in cash. It's by far Google's biggest acquisition and a sign the online search leader is serious about expanding beyond its core Internet business and setting the agenda in the fast-growing mobile market.
"After the last fortnight, it is a breath of fresh air to be talking about something other than sovereign debt issues," said Will Hedden, sales trader at IG Index.
In Europe, London's FTSE 100 closed up 0.6 percent at 5,350.58, while Germany's DAX rose 0.4 percent to 6,022.24. The CAC-40 in France ended 0.8 percent higher at 3,239.06.
In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average was up 0.9 percent at 11,372 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 1.1 percent to 1,192.
Europe's debt crisis will likely return to the forefront of investors' thoughts Tuesday, when French leader Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet, and second-quarter eurozone growth figures are published.
"The Franco-German summit on Tuesday in Paris will be a major focus for financial markets this week, especially coming so shortly after what has been a very tumultuous week for France in financial markets," said Jan Dubsky, euro area economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland.
The meeting is a day after the European Central Bank revealed that it spent euro22 billion ($32 billion) last week buying government bonds. Analysts think a large chunk of the money splashed out was spent driving down the bond interest yields of Spain and Italy, who had seen their borrowing costs ratchet up sharply in the preceding weeks.
The ECB's purchases were the biggest weekly amount the bank has made under the emergency measure, exceeding the euro16.5 billion it laid out when it started buying Greek government debt in May, 2010.
The improving appetite for risk, evidenced by the more benign stock market conditions, was evident in currency markets too, with the euro up 1.1 percent at $1.4439.
And notably, the Swiss franc continued to fall on speculation that the Swiss National Bank will peg the currency to the euro. Swiss officials have hinted that further action could be taken, after liquidity measures, to correct the currency's "massive overvaluation" in recent trading. By late afternoon, the euro was 0.8 percent higher on the day at 1.1281 francs, having traded even higher earlier in the session.
In Asia, stock markets rose Monday as data showed the economy of earthquake-battered Japan shrank less than expected.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed up 1.4 percent at 9,086.41 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shot up 3.3 percent to 20,260.10.
Mainland Chinese shares gained for a fifth trading day on expectations the government announce new measures to support growth. The Shanghai Composite Index added 1.3 percent to 2,626.77 and the Shenzhen Composite Index rose 1.4 percent to 1,175.41.
In the oil markets, prices recovered alongside equities. The main New York contract was up $1.69 at $87.07 a barrel.
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Pamela Sampson contributed from Bangkok.
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