International negotiations on the catch of Pacific bluefin tuna began in Kushiro, Hokkaido, on Wednesday, with Japan calling for a drastic increase in catch quotas as fish stocks recover.
Japan is targeting a 2.31-fold increase in the annual quota in the central and western Pacific for large bluefin tuna weighing 30 kilograms or more, and a 30% increase for smaller fish.
In a video message during the talks, Fisheries Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto said: “It is necessary to increase the quota to reflect the current situation of tuna stocks.”
Currently, the annual quota for large tuna is 7,609 tons, of which 5,614 tons are allocated to Japan. For smaller tuna, the quota is 4,725 tons, of which 4,007 tons are allocated to Japan.
Bluefin tuna is popular in Japan, including as a fancy sushi topping. According to a 2022 survey by the Fisheries Agency, the average wholesale price of chilled bluefin tuna was ¥2,700 per kilogram, higher than about ¥1,700 for bigeye tuna and about ¥500 for albacore tuna.
In Hokkaido City, the Northern Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission are holding a joint working group meeting until Saturday. The Northern Committee is holding a two-day meeting starting Monday.
The conferences will set specific quotas for next year and beyond, with the Japanese agency expected to announce the results as early as Tuesday evening.
