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Unexpected Consequences...
May. 25th, 2011 06:10 amMore Odds and Ends from the Japanese News
5/11 two months afterwards. The number of dead and missing stands at 24,834.
I think this may have unexpected results. Apparently the normal system where wholesalers buy the fish from the fisherman at the port, ship it elsewhere in Japan, then sell it to retailers, who in turn sell it to the consumers has pretty much broken down as far as the Tohoku area is concerned. Retailers, wholesalers, shipping -- they all say that consumers are worried about radioactivity or something, and they just aren't buying.
However, one of the younger fisherman decided that if they didn't want to buy his fish, he'd put the whole thing on his webpage and run his own auction. Then he'd ship the fish using the normal delivery service in Japan, which is running again. And... he's doing quite well. Apparently various people in Japan like being able to watch the process and bid on the fish directly, without several layers of distribution in the middle. If I understood right, the young fisherman said he was getting more money this way than he would normally. I wonder if he'll go back to the normal process even when it gets started again. Or will he keep selling his fish directly to consumers?
There's also a report of one of the oyster farmers who pretty much lost their farms -- large rafts with strings of oysters hanging down. The tsunami destroyed these. This particular farmer is offering a chance to invest in his business -- buy one rope for about $100. I think he's looking for capital to rebuild, and the idea is that if you invest that much, you'll get part of the harvest from that rope.
5/11 two months afterwards. The number of dead and missing stands at 24,834.
I think this may have unexpected results. Apparently the normal system where wholesalers buy the fish from the fisherman at the port, ship it elsewhere in Japan, then sell it to retailers, who in turn sell it to the consumers has pretty much broken down as far as the Tohoku area is concerned. Retailers, wholesalers, shipping -- they all say that consumers are worried about radioactivity or something, and they just aren't buying.
However, one of the younger fisherman decided that if they didn't want to buy his fish, he'd put the whole thing on his webpage and run his own auction. Then he'd ship the fish using the normal delivery service in Japan, which is running again. And... he's doing quite well. Apparently various people in Japan like being able to watch the process and bid on the fish directly, without several layers of distribution in the middle. If I understood right, the young fisherman said he was getting more money this way than he would normally. I wonder if he'll go back to the normal process even when it gets started again. Or will he keep selling his fish directly to consumers?
There's also a report of one of the oyster farmers who pretty much lost their farms -- large rafts with strings of oysters hanging down. The tsunami destroyed these. This particular farmer is offering a chance to invest in his business -- buy one rope for about $100. I think he's looking for capital to rebuild, and the idea is that if you invest that much, you'll get part of the harvest from that rope.
