An international conference discussing the management of fishery resources agreed to reduce the saury catch quota for 2026 by 5% compared to the previous year. “The total annual catch for saury across the entire distribution area, including both the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the high seas, will also be reduced by 5%, bringing the total to 192,375 tons, and it has been agreed to manage the catch within this quantity limit.”
Nine countries and regions, including Japan, China, and Russia, participated in the 10th meeting of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission held in Osaka. Regarding the saury catch quota, which was the focus of the conference, Japan proposed a 10% reduction, following last year’s proposal, in order to restore the resource, but an agreement could not be reached regarding the assessment of the resource level. Opinions were divided with China and others who argued that the 2025 catch quota should be maintained, and ultimately, an agreement was reached to reduce it by 5% to 192,375 tons.
However, Japanese fishermen are not expected to be significantly affected by this agreement, as they can use any catch quota they did not use in their EEZ in the high seas. Therefore, the Fisheries Agency believes that there will be “no significant impact” on market prices. Furthermore, at this meeting, an agreement was reached to reduce the 2027 catch quota by 10% compared to 2026. [TV Asahi NEWS]
