Matsuura’s ship usually sails to the Pacific Ocean in early April, but he has been unable to make plans this year because the schedule for Japan-Russia fishery negotiations has not been nailed down.
“We can make a living by catching chum salmon,” Matsuura said. “Fishermen do their jobs by going out to sea, so we’re preparing to fish.” At the NPFC meeting in February last year, participating countries agreed to reduce the total annual catch quota for Pacific saury by 40% to 334,300 tons each in 2021 and 2022. Japan had intended to propose strengthening the resource management of the fish at this year’s meeting.“The resource management of Pacific saury is an important issue,” an official of the Fisheries Agency said.