Sashimi quality seafood pieces. (Photo: Jm Verastigue)

A sea change in Pacific fish wars

JAPAN
Friday, September 22, 2017, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

In ominous times, the world is already at war over fish, and seafood-loving Japan finds itself pitted against fish-hungry nations and region like China, North Korea, Taiwan, and the US.

Japan has been losing out to the competition lately, and finds it increasingly difficult to ensure steady supplies to homes and restaurants. Even inexpensive species used for general consumption, such as mackerel and squid, have become less affordable.

Sunset industry

The home of sushi and sashimi, Japan was once the world's pre-eminent fishing nation, processing the largest ocean catch for 16 consecutive years until 1987. It never regained the top slot after that, and its fishery output, including aquaculture, has fallen back to around 4 million tons from 12 million tons at its peak.

The world's per capita consumption of fish and shellfish has more than doubled over the past half century because of increasing health consciousness, particularly among US and European consumers, and rising demand from emerging economies.

China has developed a particularly strong appetite, and is now the world's biggest consumer of seafood. With a population of over 1.38 billion people, the world's most populous country has seen its ocean catches swell by over 20 per cent in the past five years. Fisheries closest to its shores have been overfished and harmed by industrialization, however.

Chinese fishermen sail the world in search of new grounds, bringing them into contact with their Japanese and South Korean counterparts. Chinese media sometimes depict this as a maritime version of ancient China's Three Kingdoms.

Pacific saury in decline

In mid-August, the saury fishing fleet returned at dawn to the Japanese port of Hanasaki in Nemuro, Hokkaido. It was the first full landing of saury, or mackerel pike, of the year, and the combined catch was 700 tons. A senior official from the Hokkaido saury fishery association was unhappy with the "slender" fish he beheld. The silvery saury used to weigh from 150-180 grams a piece, but now they average about 120 grams -- less than sardines.

The problem is as much about quantity as weight. According to the national saury association, the landed volume fell to a record low of 109,000 tons in 2016 -- half the 2014 figure, and a third of 2008. Reasons for the decline include higher seawater temperatures. Yet China and Taiwan have both had record saury catches, according to the Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute.

Photo: Jm Verastigue

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