Japanese fishermen caught catching more than their allocated volume of Pacific bluefin tuna will be fined and could face a prison sentence following the introduction of the Fisheries Agency’s new penal regulations that came into force this month.
The penalties are in line with stricter international controls aimed at preventing overfishing, and local media has reported that the agency hopes that comprehensive resources management will allow Japanese fishermen to continue catching the prized fish amid concerns over the depletion of stocks.
On the basis of the national quota allocated by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, Japan distributes portions to domestic fishermen in line with fishing method and region of operations. But fishermen in many areas have caught more tuna than permitted, raising questions about the effectiveness of previous regulations in preventing overfishing.
Under the new regulations, introduced for round haul net fishing, which uses medium- and large-sized ships and in July for coastal fishing, fishermen will be required to submit periodic reports detailing their hauls and the agency will order fishermen to suspend operations if their catches are likely to outstrip the limits. A violator will face a prison term of up to three years or a fine up to JPY 2 million (USD 17,830, EUR 14,763).
The previous regulations had no penalty provision.
