Tuna catch. (Photo: Stock File)
Juvenile bluefin tuna catch to be cut in the Northern Pacific
JAPAN
Tuesday, March 11, 2014, 03:30 (GMT + 9)
Amid international concerns about declining stocks, the country's Fisheries Agency plans to halve juvenile bluefin tuna catch in the Northern Pacific starting in 2015, according to the Japanese media.
Studies have found stocks of bluefin tuna, prized by sushi lovers, have fallen dramatically, with juveniles forming the majority of specimens now being caught, pushing the species closer to extinction, Australia Network News reported.
Last year, an international conference involving Japan agreed to cut each nation's quota for juvenile bluefin tuna in 2014 by more than 15 per cent from the 2002-2004 average, according to Kyodo News.
But Japan, the world's biggest tuna consumer, has concluded bluefin tuna stocks will not sufficiently increase unless the quota is significantly reduced, the newspaper Yomiuri informed.
It has been claimed that the sharp cut may lead to a rise in prices of sashimi at food stores.
It has been stressed that the Japanese plan is aimed at encouraging other nations to adopt bigger cuts in their tuna catch quota.
Twenty-five entities are members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), ranging from the European Union to the small Pacific island of Niue.
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