Saury, Squid Prices Surging after Hokkaido Quake

September 10, 2018

Tokyo- Wholesale prices of saury and Japanese flying squid have risen sharply at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market as catches of the seasonal seafood declined following a powerful earthquake that hit the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido last week.

Thursday's quake dealt a heavy blow to saury catches in waters off the coast of Hokkaido, a major area for catching the fish, reversing a recovery that had been under way since late August.

Some 7,600 boxes, mainly holding 4 kilograms of saury, arrived at the Tsukiji market on Saturday, only one-fourth of an average of 28,600 boxes in the seven days through Friday.

As a result, wholesale prices for mainstay 140-gram saury doubled to some 1,100 yen per kilogram on Saturday from a week before.

"Many supermarkets in Tokyo avoided selling saury at bargain prices at the weekend," a Tsukiji wholesaler said.

The quake was an additional hit to squid fishermen already suffering from poor catches.

"Many squid fishermen in Hokkaido face difficulty because they are unable to procure the ice necessary for their fishing boats" due to the blackouts caused by the earthquake, an industry source said.

Supplies from nearby Aomori and Miyagi prefectures are not enough to offset smaller catches in Hokkaido, sources familiar with the situation said.

Wholesale squid prices stood at some 1,000 yen to 1,200 yen per kilogram on Saturday, nearly double the level before the earthquake, the sources said, adding that squid is not selling well.

Another Tsukiji wholesaler is worried about further effects from the earthquake. "Catches of autumn salmon and flatfish in Hokkaido that will come into season may be affected," the wholesaler said. Jiji Press