Tuna overfishing was a problem, but a savior has emerged
Table of Contents
2: Effects of tuna protecting activities
3: Ranking of Japan’s bluefin tuna catch by prefecture
1: The global tuna market
2 May is World Tuna Day, established by the United Nations in December 2016. This article discusses the tuna market, which is popular as a sushi ingredient among the Japanese and many foreign tourists.
Tuna is currently caught in more than 96 countries. The annual tuna trade is worth USD 12 billion, accounting for 20% of the global marine fisheries value. Between 6 and 7 million tonnes of tuna and tuna products are landed annually.
Tuna and tuna species can be divided into two main product categories: canned tuna and sashimi/sushi. Light meat species like skipjack and yellowfin tuna dominate the canned tuna market. In contrast, red meat species like bluefin and bigeye tuna are preferred in the sushi and sashimi markets.
2: Effects of tuna protecting activities
Overfishing of tuna has been a problem, but global tuna-protecting activities have reduced the number of tuna stock overfishing species from 13 to 5 between 2014 and 2019. In recent years, there has also been an active movement to protect tuna stocks through bluefin tuna aquaculture. In Japan, farmed bluefin tuna catches have increased rapidly since 2012 and are 1.8 times higher than natural ones.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
3: Ranking of Japan’s bluefin tuna catch by prefecture
The ranking of bluefin tuna catches in Japan by prefecture (2021) was Nagasaki Prefecture (1st), Kagoshima Prefecture (2nd), Kochi Prefecture (3rd), Ehime Prefecture (4th), Ehime Prefecture (5th), and Mie Prefecture (5th), with the regions with the highest bluefin tuna catches being those with the most aquaculture.
Bluefin tuna catch ranking by prefecture (tonnes)
Wild fish Farmed fish Total 1 Nagasaki 1,492 7,144 8,636 2 Kagoshima 375 3,584 3,959 3 Kochi 643 2,308 2,951 4 Ehime 563 2,031 2,594 5 Mie 597 1,493 2,090 6 Wakayama 76 1,965 2,041 7 Aomori 1,463 - 1,463 8 Shizuoka 1,270 - 1,270 9 Miyagi 1,110 - 1,110 10 Oita 33 1,006 1,039
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
It is nice to eat bluefin tuna without worrying about overfishing due to the widespread use of aquaculture. Please enjoy bluefin tuna sushi and sashimi when you travel to Japan.
