Back In My School Days,

us kids used to collect amongst other things,

cigarette cards, later tea cards both of which were issued in sets, each packet of cigarettes or tea had one inside the pack, and a album was printed to keep them in, so what has that got to do with a number of hunky Japanese fishermen?

issuing collectable cards featuring the fisherman was an idea of the local government agency in Aomori prefecture, to bring awareness about the dwindling number of fishermen to the attention to school kids in the hope that some might join the industry,

the sets of trading cards feature real-life fisherman, flexing in poses often featuring the fish they caught, the cards have become a huge hit among the local community and beyond with kids trying to collect different cards while also vying for rare cards,

according to one article, the cards are entirely handmade by Noriaki Kimura, a 32-year old government employee who single-handedly goes around asking local fisherman for permission to take their photographs. He then brings the photos back to his office, designs the card, makes prints and then cuts them into trading card sizes,

in December of 2019 they began distributing the cards at fish markets locally, but also trade shows around the country and sure enough they were an almost immediate hit, there are currently about 60 types of cards on the market, featuring fishermen of all ages. Given the surprising popularity of the cards, especially among kids, the organizers hope they will help stem the decline in number of workers within the fishery industry, it is too early yet to see if the PR idea works, but what a neat way to bring national awareness to an industry that needs labour.