The Fish Masters’ “Eat Fish Project”

The “Eat Fish Project” was started in May 2013 to promote seafood consumption by the Nissui Group company, Yamatsu Suisan Co., Ltd. As part of this project, “Fish Masters” from Yamatsu Suisan have been visiting local elementary schools mainly in Niigata Prefecture.
In FY2021, 2 sessions were held, in which children were given a lecture, gained hands-on experience and ate horse mackerel sourced from Tottori Prefecture. In the lecture, children learned about the environment surrounding fish, when fish comes into season, the logistics involving fish (catching → production → sale → development → regional revitalization), and gained hands-on experience in stripping off the skin of horse mackerel.  The participating children listened to the lecture with an eager look. 

The Children Ate Grilled Fish and Learned Where Each Bone Was Found

Coho Salmon Meeting

Yumigahama Suisan Co., Ltd. of the Nissui Group, in cooperation with Sakaiminato-shi, Tottori Prefecture, has been holding “Coho Salmon Meetings” every year as part of food education activities to increase the interest in local foodstuff since 2013. Previously, Yumigahama Suisan had visited nursery schools and held picture-card shows to read out each step involved in delivering Sakaiminato Salmon to the dining table, from the egg stage. In FY2020-2021, however, the shows were held by teachers at each nursery school at Yumigahama Suisan's request. The children enjoyed learning about the farming of coho salmon through picture-card shows and videos, and were full of smiles as they enjoyed the flavor of coho salmon served as part of their school meal.

The Children Listened to the Story 

Visiting Schools to Give Classes to Popularize Fish Consumption and PR Activities

The Nissui group company, Hiroshimasuisan Co., Ltd., is engaged in numerous activities to communicate the good taste and the positive effects of fish as well as the fun of cooking. In FY2021, some staff from Hiroshimasuisan visited schools and local governments 3 times to give lectures on the cooking methods of fish including cleaning fish, while also communicating the positive effects of fish and the role of the market. In addition, they make 18 appearances a year on TV and radio to promote fish eating by teaching people about seasonal fish and fish preparation.

The Scene from the Market Festival

We hope that becoming familiar from childhood with how foods are made will encourage an interest in monozukuri (manufacturing). We also hope that children will learn the importance of diet and become more fond of eating fish. With these hopes, we have opened our four food manufacturing plants –Hachioji General Plant, Himeji General Plant, Anjo Plant and Tobata Plant – to local elementary school children for factory visits to learn about food. (We do not conduct tours for the general public.)

Tour of Anjo Plant

Visiting an Elementary School to Give a Lesson (Himeji General Plant)

On November 29, 2024, the Himeji General Plant welcomed 16 third-graders from Yagi Elementary School in Himeji City for their plant tour. Dressed in lab coats, the students actively participated in various programs, handling ingredients such as Alaska pollock, surimi and fish paste, observing the production process of fish cakes, and tasting freshly made fish cakes. At the end of the tour, the students happily took home souvenirs such as sausages. Later, the Himeji General Plant received thank-you letters from the students, which are now on display inside the facility.

　　 　　

Tour of Himeji General Plant

Saiki City, Oita Prefecture, where the Oita Marine Biological Technology Center is located, has always had a thriving fishery industry. The Oita Marine Biological Technology Center, which specializes in aquaculture, has been established in such an area, and in order to better acquaint the community with this research facility, it accepts elementary school children on educational field trips and offers workplace experience to junior high school students. The program has been designed so that it will motivate children to take an interest in fishery and aquaculture, in the hopes that future researchers will be born from those who take part.

Field Trips for Elementary School Children

On November 22, 2024, the Oita Marine Biological Technology Center welcomed 30 third-grade students from Saiki Higashi Elementary School for a program designed to provide hands-on experience with the Center's research activities and fish feeding. The program began with an overview of aquaculture research and a fish quiz. Many children demonstrated familiarity not only with Japanese amberjack and tuna but also with freshwater prawns—as would be expected of Saiki kids! During the observation of feed plankton under a microscope, reactions ranged from “cute” to “gross,” while the fish feeding activity captivated everyone and became the highlight of the day. Although the tour lasted only about two hours, many children expressed a desire to stay longer, thoroughly enjoying their hands-on experience with fish.

Workplace Experience for Junior High School Students

On June 24, 2024, two students from Saiki Municipal Tsurumi Junior High School participated in a workplace experience program. These students, who had previously visited as third-graders, were eager to delve deeper into aquaculture research. They engaged in activities like the daily management of live feed (plankton for fish), fish feeding, and practical lab work including measurements and dissections of test fish. They learned about the daily tasks critical to biological research and how data analysis from cultivation tests can lead to new insights. Their keen interest in feeding, recording data, and performing dissections showed their potential as budding researchers.

Workplace Visit Day for Employees' Families

On August 16, 2023, the Oita Marine Biological Technology Center hosted a workplace visit day for employees’ families. The event featured a presentation by the Center Director on Nissui and aquaculture research, a business card exchange experience, a facility tour, and hands-on fish feeding. Afterwards, attendees enjoyed tasting various Nissui products, including Kurose Buri (Japanese amberjack), Shirahime Ebi (whiteleg shrimp), and grilled rice balls. The family members were impressed by seeing their loved ones at work, which sparked conversations that continued long after they returned home.

Participation in the “Research Meeting” Junior EXPO 2025 Education Program

As part of the Junior EXPO 2025 educational program (Note), Nissui participated for the fifth consecutive year in the “Research Meeting” program as a company committed to the SDGs. This year’s Research Meetings, in which junior high school students from across Japan and company representatives exchanged ideas and opinions, were conducted entirely online. After the introduction of initiatives that participating companies were taking towards achieving SDGs, a question-and-answer session was held with the students, followed by a sharing of viewpoints.

(Note) Junior EXPO 2025 Educational program:
Outline: This program is implemented for the purpose of making children, who will be forging our future, participate in initiatives toward Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan before its launch through classes to learn about SDGs and discover local and social issues by themselves, and in the process, make them come up with ideas for the Expo's theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." It also aims to heighten their curiosity and interest so that they will actually want to go to the Expo venue in 2025.
Program organizer: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition

Since 2002, Nissui has welcomed Maori trainees from New Zealand to Japan.

In front of Te Waleo Tangaroa, a Maori deity figure symbolizing Tangaroa ―the god of the sea and the world he governs― at the entrance of the Tokyo Innovation Center.

Training at an aquaculture company.

Origin and Objectives of the Training Program

Training Program Background

Sealord Group, Ltd. joined the Nissui Group in 2001. It was at that time that the decision was made to initiate this training program in partnership with TOKM (Te Ohu Kaimoana: Treaty of Waitangi (Note 1) Fisheries Commission) (Note 2), with the aim of contributing to the development of the fisheries industry among the Maori, the Indigenous people of New Zealand. The current training counterpart is Moana New Zealand.

(Note 1) Treaty of Waitangi: A peace treaty signed in 1840 between the indigenous Maori people and the British monarchy.
(Note 2) TOKM: Body that oversees the Maori fishing quota.

Purpose

1. 1. To provide Maori with the opportunity for international training and instruction in the seafood industry, enabling them to acquire specialized knowledge and skills.
2. 2. To foster deep and broad interpersonal relationships between the Maori and the Nissui Group, while establishing a long-term, sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship between the Nissui Group and Moana New Zealand.

Training Details

The training program consists of a comprehensive curriculum lasting approximately six months, including lectures, practical field training, and other activities conducted in relevant departments of Nissui and its Group companies, tailored to the trainees' areas of interest.

Achievements and Career Paths upon Completion

During the period from 2002 to 2024, a total of 23 graduates from 16 training cycles have successfully completed the program. Upon completion, the majority of the trainees have gone on to actively contribute to the industry and many have embarked on successful careers in government agencies related to the fisheries sector, TOKM, MOANA NZ, Sealord, and other relevant organizations.

Support for Training Costs

Nissui support amount: approx. 4.0 million yen/person

Nippon Marine Enterprises, Ltd., a Nissui Group company, provides operations and management services for research vessels and other assets owned by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). The company supports advanced marine observation activities through operations including the research vessel Kaimei, operation and maintenance of the manned submersible research vessel Shinkai 6500, and unmanned exploration vehicles, and subseafloor structural research in seismic zones primarily around Japan.
In April 2024, Nippon Marine Enterprises, through a consortium with NYK Line, established the “Akita School of Wind and Sea,” a comprehensive training center for offshore wind power generation. This training center, established through industry-government-academia collaboration, utilizes part of the training facility at Akita Prefectural Oga Marine High School and the adjacent former Oga City Funakawa South Elementary School to provide GWO Basic Safety Training (GWO BST) for offshore wind power technicians, STCW Basic Safety Training for seafarers, and simulator-based vessel operation training using state-of-the-art systems. The simulator is also made available to students of Oga Marine High School, and facility tours are offered to local elementary and junior high school students, with the aim of nurturing the next generation of maritime professionals. The project is being promoted in collaboration with local government, with the aim of establishing long-term roots in the region and contributing to the local community.

Training Pool

Firefighting Drill

Ship Operation Simulator