There is a problem with too many bluefin tuna being caught. In Fukui Prefecture, there is a risk of exceeding this year’s catch quota, so fishermen are releasing tuna that have been caught in their nets.
■Offered at bargain prices at restaurants in Tokyo Deep crimson, gleaming red flesh. This is sashimi of bluefin tuna, also known as the “king of tuna” and the “black diamond.” Bluefin tuna’s lean flesh is characterized by its refreshing taste while still being flavorful. On the 7th, a restaurant in Tokyo offered bluefin tuna sashimi from the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture for 1,000 yen, down from the usual 1,750 yen. Nigiri sushi was offered for 200 yen per piece. Customer (teenager): “It’s delicious. The flesh is thick.” Why can it be offered at such a low price? Shigehisa Hayatsu, president of Tanashi Fishing Port Direct Sales Store: “We have caught a lot of delicious tuna, so we want people to eat a lot of it, and that’s why we’re offering it at half price.”
■Too many bluefin tuna caught in Fukui Bluefin tuna are being caught in abundance in various regions. In Fukui Prefecture, bluefin tuna were being landed one after another.
However… Toshiharu Uratani, chairman of the Fukui Prefectural Fixed Net Fisheries Association, said, “We are praying to God that the tuna will not get caught in the nets.” Despite the abundant catch, they were becoming a nuisance. The reason for this is the bluefin tuna catch quota set at the prefectural level. Fukui Prefecture has a small quota to begin with, and can only catch about 46 tons of small tuna under 30 kg and about 32 tons of large tuna over 30 kg. As for small bluefin tuna, the catch quota for the first half of the year was reached by the 7th, so landings have been stopped.
Bluefin tuna under 30 kg were being released one after another off the coast of Fukui. “They’re really big, you know. Up until now, they were mostly 7-8 kilograms, but lately we’ve been seeing a lot of ones over 15 kilograms, and some are even 24-25 kilograms. It’s a real challenge when you have to release 100 of them each.” (From the May 8, 2026 broadcast) [TV Asahi NEWS]
