As the newest brand saury in Nemuro, members of 11 fishing vessels belonging to the Nemuro Saury Fishing Club. Photo: nemuroseafoodblog

Highlights of Japan's 2024 Pacific Saury Fishing Season

JAPAN
Tuesday, December 10, 2024, 09:00 (GMT + 9)

Catches this season "Better than initially predicted, but still far from recovery compared to peak period"

The National Saury Stick-Held Dip Net Fishing Cooperative (Zen-Sanma) summarized the national catch status for Pacific saury. While the catch exceeded initial forecasts, the cooperative noted, "Recovery is still far from the levels seen during peak years."

Photo: Ryoushi

Key Figures:

• Nemuro City Hanasaki Port: Known for leading national saury catches for 14 consecutive years, reported a 16% increase year-on-year, landing 20,125 tons by the end of last month.
• Other Hokkaido Ports:
  • Akkeshi Port recorded 3,503 tons, up 186% year-on-year.
  • Kushiro Port reported 274 tons, an impressive 413% increase year-on-year.

Photo: Ryoushi

National Totals:

The total saury catch nationwide reached 38,681 tons, a 116% increase compared to the previous year. This figure surpassed the "low levels similar to last year" predicted by Japan's Fisheries Agency in July.

Photo: Ryoushi

Contributing Factors:

The cooperative attributes the improved numbers to favorable conditions:

• Saury schools formed in high seas fishing grounds closer to Japan, making them easier to catch.
• Shorter travel times to fishing grounds allowed for more frequent and larger hauls per trip.

Photo: Ryoushi

Challenges and Outlook:

Despite these positive developments, the cooperative emphasized that catches remain significantly below the peak levels of previous years, indicating the industry is not yet free from recent poor catch trends. Typically, fishing continues until around December 10, but this year, fishing is expected to end earlier as schools of saury are now scarce.

This reflects a cautious optimism in the industry, acknowledging slight improvements while remaining mindful of ongoing challenges in stock recovery.

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