The annual catch quota for Japanese fishermen targeting southern bluefin tuna is to increase by 30 percent from 4,737 metric tons (MT) this year to 6,117 MT for 2018-2020, the Japanese Fisheries Agency has confirmed.
The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) – comprising Japan, Australia, the EU, the Fishing Entity of Taiwan, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and South Africa – adopted the new quotas at its recent 18th annual meeting in Indonesia.
Australia’s catch limit for 2018-2020 has increased to 6,165 MT from 5,665 MT this year. Korea and Taiwan both have allocations of 1,240.5 MT, New Zealand has 1,088 MT, Indonesia 1,023 MT, South Africa 450 MT and the EU gets 11 MT.
In 2014, CCSBT’s total allowable catch (TAC) of southern bluefin was 12,449 MT. This increased to 14,647 MT for 2015-2017, and has risen further still to 17,647 MT for 2018-2020.
