International commission on Pacific bluefin tuna to raise catch quota by 25%
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 current cap.
A global commission on Pacific bluefin tuna agreed to increase the catch quota for larger fish in the Central and Western Pacific by approximately 25% at an online conference on Tuesday. The boost in the annual limit from 11,869 tons to 14,836 tons in 2027 and 2028 comes after Japan secured Mexico's support following initial objections.
Meanwhile, the quota for smaller bluefin tuna weighing under 30 kilograms will be reduced by about 6% to 4,823 tons. The Eastern Pacific, near Mexico, will see a minor expansion from 7,581 tons to 7,740 tons. The commission also adopted a new management system that will automatically calculate quotas based on the resource situation for six years.
Every two years, a review will adjust the quotas to narrow the gap between the western and eastern areas, with 1% of the catch quota for the western area transferred to the eastern area. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan will later negotiate their specific quotas in the Central and Western Pacific. Japanese Fisheries Minister Norizaku Suzuki emphasized that the commission will proceed with urgency in these negotiations.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
