Chris Loew

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) – two regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) that set rules for tuna fishing in the Pacific Ocean – have rejected a Japanese proposal to speed up catch limit increases of Pacific bluefin tuna.

The Japanese delegation that attended a meeting of the Joint Working Group on Pacific Bluefin Tuna from 3 to 5 July

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Osaka, Japan-based sushi chain Kura Sushi is expanding its local fish project titled “Kura no Ippin,” aiming to implement the initiative in 530 of its restaurants nationwide by August 2023.

The initiative involves the use of locally-caught fish in limited-quantity specials on a weekly basis throughout each of Japan’s eight regions. The fish used in the project change depending on weekly catches so that customers can enjoy

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The Maruha Nichiro Corporation reported in its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending in March 2023 its sales exceeded JPY 1 trillion (USD 7 billion, EUR 6.4 billion) for the first time in the company’s history. The Tokyo-based seafood conglomerate – which employs over 13,000 people, has around 150 subsidiaries, and is the world’s largest seafood company by revenue – reported sales reaching just over JPY 1.02 trillion… Read More

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) verified it has installed the last piece of equipment needed in an undersea tunnel to release advanced liquid processing system (ALPS)-treated water from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

The ALPS process aims to remove most radioactive isotopes, allowing them to decay. However, purification cannot fully expel tritium, so TEPCO plans to dilute the treated water

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Choshi, Japan-based seafood trader Iida Suisan, which mainly deals in sardines and mackerel, is considering a move into processing as environmental changes continue to cause catch variability.

Iida Suisan sells about 80,000 metric tons (MT) of fish per year – about half in Japan and half overseas – and the majority of its sales are bulk fish packed by other local processors. Most of its products are sourced locally, as Choshi is the

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Construction on the Soul of Japan land-based salmon aquaculture facility has officially begun.  The recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) farm will be the largest of five land-based facilities either operating or currently under construction in Japan. Representatives of Shimizu a major Japanese construction company that is the general contractor for the building project, and Oriental Consultants Global, a Tokyo-based project management… Read More

The news of rebounding Japanese sardine stocks in early 2023 has been greeted with dismay by Japan's seafood industry, as the cheaper sardines are supplanting more profitable mackerel in the global marketplace.

Catches of spotlined sardines (Sardinops melanostictus) have been strong in Japan this year since the beginning of February, continuing an ongoing trend. But the species' abundance has been linked to a decline in mackerel catches.

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The North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC) recently reported the 2022 salmon catch in its area of oversight at 710,400 metric tons, the second-lowest total since 2000.

The declines were blamed on lower landings of pink and chum salmon in Asia, where those species make up most of the catch, according to a NPAFC scientific committee report.

The Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based NPAFC, which includes Canada, Japan, South Korea,

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Nissui released its consolidated financial results for fiscal year 2022, ending 31 March, 2023, revealing higher sales on account of a rebound from loosened Covid-19 measures, but lower operating profits mainly due to higher material costs.

The Tokyo, Japan-based seafood conglomerate’s report and related presentation materials highlighted a net sales increase of 10.7 percent, reaching JPY 768 billion (USD 5.5 billion, EUR 5.1 billion), up

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Two of Japan’s biggest trading companies, Marubeni and Sumitomo, have separately begun partnerships with insect protein companies, aiming to both use and sell the alternative protein for aquaculture feed purposes in Japan.

Japan is the second-largest user of fishmeal in the world, with much of it imported from Peru  for its yellowtail and sea bream aquaculture operations. But recently, prices for fishmeal have been rising, leading to

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