Japan Ruling LDP Urges Govt to Press Pacific Bluefin Quota Talks

Tokyo, July 23 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s fisheries panels on Thursday adopted a resolution urging the government to keep negotiating for a larger Pacific bluefin tuna catch quota. The LDP’s Fisheries Division and Research Commission on Fishery Policies adopted the resolution after international conferences on Pacific bluefin tuna resource management failed to reach an agreement on Japan’s proposal to expand the catch quota because of Mexico’s opposition. Arata Takebe, chairman of the commission, handed the resolution to fisheries minister Norikazu Suzuki, saying, “We would like you to work closely with the Fisheries Agency and the Foreign Ministry and negotiate steadfastly until the very end in order to secure an agreement.” Suzuki said, “We will work with a sense of urgency to break the deadlock as soon as possible.” He said his ministry will consider dispatching a state minister and other officials to Mexico, while gathering and analyzing information on why the country reversed its position and how negotiations may unfold. At an international conference in the southwestern Japan city of Nagasaki earlier this month, Japan proposed increasing the catch quota for Pacific bluefin tuna weighing at least 30 kilograms by 25 pct from 2027 after stocks rebounded in waters where Japanese fishing vessels operate. On the final day of the meeting between eastern and western Pacific fishing economies, Mexico unexpectedly sought a larger quota for the eastern Pacific and opposed a compromise proposal that had been close to agreement, scuttling the talks. Mexican delegates cited strong instructions from their government. The current quota has forced fishermen to curb operations and release catches to avoid exceeding the limit, affecting catches of other species as well. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]