A case study of conservation and utilization of Japanese native Mishima breed
2004
Ozawa, S. | Hosoi, E. | Oshiro, K. | Komeya, H. | Matsuzaki, N. | Abe, Y. | Emoto, S. | Furusawa, M. | Nagata, T. | Okada, K.
Mishima cattle are considered as a pure native breed. Therefore these cattle were designated as a natural monument in 1928. The number of Mashima cattle was maintained at about 5 hundred until 1960. But thereafter it continued to decrease to only 30 heads in 1979. At present, the number of Mishima cows has recovered to 86 heads. However this figure is still below the critical situation for maintenance as a breed because of the low reproductivity, high mortality and increasingly smaller body size caused by progressive inbreeding and poor feeding practice. Now many conservation programs are being prepared both at the in situ and ex situ level. Although Mishima cattle has smaller body size and poor ability for body weight gain, this breed has thinner subcutaneous fat and is thus more superior in depositing intramuscular fat (marbling) than Japanese Black cattle. The most important implement for conservation of Mishima cattle is to make use of these genetic resources in effective beef production systems. Furthermore, in industrial planning on Mishima Island we suggest encouraging sustainable and ecological agricultural farming systems.
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