A huge harvest of winter yellowtail in the Sea of Japan has brought prices down. The wholesale price at the end of January was JPY 15,000 to 16,000 (USD 180 to 192) per 8-kilogram fish, or around JPY 1,875 (USD 22.5) per kilogram, compared with JPY 3,000 last year.
According to the Fisheries Research Institute, 130,774 fish weighing a total of 1063.1 metric tons were taken from 1 December to 31 January at Himi Port in Toyonaka Prefecture. This is the largest catch at the port since record-keeping began in fiscal year 1998 and was due to the high juvenile survival of rate of the 2007 class, which has grown into huge schools in Toyama Bay. The average weight was 8.1 kilograms, up from 7.4 last year. The previous record catch was 509.2 metric tons, in 2003. The worst recent catch was in 2009, when only 4,274 fish were caught, weighing 31.6 tons, less than a thirtieth of this year’s haul. The season runs through the end of February.
Buri and hamachi are the same species, Seriola quinqueradiata, (or yellowtail), but differ in age and size. Kanburi, meaning “cold weather buri” are larger older wild yellowtail that migrate up the Japan Sea coast and are netted in the winter as they return southward. Kanburi are caught at four or five years old and are typically 90 centimeters or longer. Kanburi is very oily and flavorful and is usually served as broiled steaks or collars with teriyaki sauce. When served as sushi or sashimi, it is seasoned with ponzu, a citrus-flavored sauce, rather than soy sauce, as the oil of the fish can actually repel the soy sauce leaving an “oil slick” in the sauce bowl. Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, also in the Sea of Japan, uses the high fat content as a marketing point. They utilize an instrument called an adipometer, which uses infrared light to measure the fat content of yellowtail. To carry the label of “Sado No.1 Kanburi,” it must contain a minimum of 15 percent fat.
Hamachi, on the other hand, are 2 to 3 years old and are usually under 6 kilograms. Farmed hamachi comes from warm sheltered waters around Kyushu Island and in the Seto Inland Sea. It is available year-round, and is thus more suitable as an export item. The yellowtail used for sushi and sashimi in Japan and abroad is usually farmed, while wild kanburi is mainly a seasonal domestic item. While this year has seen a bumper catch of kanburi, farmed yellowtail production has reached over 150,000 metric tons, eclipsing the wild catch.
Meanwhile, the price of madai (sea bream) was down on reduced corporate spending on year-end and new-year parties for employees amid the poor economy. Madai, a type of “tai” or bream, is often served broiled whole for celebrations, due to the wordplay of “omedetai,” meaning “I want to congratulate you!” Madai is widely farmed in Japan by the same aquaculture operations that produce yellowtail, but is mostly consumed domestically.
