The wholesale price of juvenile sardines in Japan fell 30 percent in April, due to earlier-than-usual spring landings off the coast of Shizuoka Prefecture, according to the Nippon Keizai Shimbun.
The seasons for juvenile sardine fishing are spring and autumn. The price is usually high after the fall season closes, but drops once spring landings begin. Typically, there is a trickle of product from southern areas of Japan before the fish reach the main fishing grounds of Shizuoka, Aichi, Wakayama and Hyogo Prefectures. However, this year, catches in Shizuoka came in strong three weeks early, resulting in a steep drop.
Prices were high last year, due to poor harvests, so the wholesale price for stocked product reached its highest level in about 30 years. The wholesale price in mid-April, after its decline, was still JPY 2,000 (USD 9.16, EUR 8.56) per kilogram, higher than in the same period last year. Wholesale prices in the same period last year were in the range of JPY 1,000 to 1,600 (USD 9.16 to 14.66, EUR 8.56 to 13.70, based on exchange rates at the time) per kilogram. At retail, the product, called “shirasu” in Japan, is generally sold at around JPY 300 to 400 (USD 2.75 to 3.67, EUR 2.57 to 3.42) per 100 grams. Currently, it is being sold at the high end of that range.
Shirasu can include both juvenile sardines and anchovies. It is usually eaten as a topping on rice. There is a regional difference in the form sold in the Kanto (Tokyo) region and the Kansai (Osaka) region. The former prefers a more moist product, the latter prefers a drier product called “chirimen jakko.”
