Japan proposes expanding Pacific bluefin tuna catch quotas

August 28, 2017

TOKYO- Japan proposed at an international meeting on Monday that Pacific bluefin tuna catch quotas be raised if resource recovery of the fish, popular for sushi and sashimi, is confirmed.

Japan hopes to win an agreement on the proposal during the meeting of the Northern Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, which started in Busan, South Korea, the same day for a five-day run.

Japan's haul accounts for more than half of overall Pacific bluefin tuna catches.

In response to a decline in tuna resources, the WCPFC has introduced regulations including one that calls for halving the catch quotas for bluefin tuna of less than 30 kilograms from the annual average catch levels for 2002-2004.

During the fishing season between July 2016 and June this year, however, Japan's catches of small bluefin tuna totaled 2,365 tons, in excess of its ceiling of 1,901 tons.

Also at the Busan meeting, Japan proposed invoking emergency fishing restrictions when Pacific bluefin tuna stocks drop sharply.

Japan's attitudes of aiming for bigger catch quotas while calling for emergency fishing curbs are expected to draw criticism from other members of the WCPFC, sources familiar with the situation said.

At the previous meeting in summer last year, Japan made a similar proposal for emergency restrictions on Pacific bluefin tuna catches. But member economies failed to reach an agreement due to differences over the rules for triggering the proposed resource management measure. Jiji Press