February 6, 2017 — Japan’s Fishery Agency is likely to set a total allowable catch (TAC) for bluefin tuna, after a survey found problems with the current voluntary cap.
In January 2015, to show it was not ignoring bluefin tuna overfishing, the Japan Fisheries Agency (JFA), introduced voluntary limits on bluefin harvests in domestic waters. A system of alerts was included an “advisory” when catches hit 70 percent of the limit, an “alert” at 80 percent, a “special alert” at 90 percent, and a request for voluntary suspension of fishing at 95 percent.
In July 2016, JFA further changed its system. Previously, there were six bluefin management blocs – northern and western Sea of Japan, northern and southern Pacific Ocean, the Seto Inland Sea and the sea west of Kyushu – each with its own voluntary catch limit. In the new system, quotas were set by prefecture, with the warnings issued on a prefectural basis.