25 Pct Increase Agreed for Pacific Bluefin Tuna Quota

Tokyo, Aug. 18 (Jiji Press)–An international conference held online Tuesday agreed to expand the catch quota for bluefin tuna weighing at least 30 kilograms in the Central and Western Pacific by about 25 pct. At a meeting held in southwestern Japan city of Nagasaki last month, members of the international commission on Pacific bluefin tuna resource management were close to an agreement on a plan to expand the quota that had been based on Japan’s proposal. The plan was not adopted, however, as Mexico abruptly raised objections. Later, Japan held bilateral talks with Mexico and eventually obtained its support. Pacific bluefin tuna catches have been robust in the areas where Japanese fishing boats operate. Japanese fishers have called for an expansion in the quota as they have had to scale down their operations or release some of their catches to abide by the cap. The agreement allows an increase in the annual quota in the Central and Western Pacific to 14,836 tons in 2027 and 2028 from the current 11,869 tons. Meanwhile, the quota for fish weighing less than 30 kilograms will be cut by about 6 pct to 4,823 tons. The catch quota in the Eastern Pacific, near Mexico, will be expanded to 7,740 tons from 7,581 tons. Participants in the online meeting included South Korea, Taiwan and the United States as well as Japan and Mexico. They agreed on a new bluefin tuna management system, in which quotas will be calculated automatically based on the resource situation. The system will be in use for six years while being reviewed twice, every two years. In each review, 1 pct of the catch quota for the western area will be given to the eastern area to narrow the gap between the two areas. In addition, a conversion factor used to calculate the partial transfer of the smaller tuna quota to the larger tuna quota will be reviewed to expand the catch quota for larger fish. The catch quotas for Japan, South Korea and Taiwan in the Central and Western Pacific will be decided through negotiations to be held later. “We will continue negotiations with a sense of urgency,” Japanese fisheries minister Norikazu Suzuki said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]