Soaring Prices of Pacific Saury in Japan

At the end of September 2022, the price of Pacific saury lined up in stores had skyrocketed to USD 4.33/fish (JPY600/fish). Until about five years ago, if it was the same size, it would cost about USD 0.72/fish (JPY 100/fish). Even larger sizes were sold for about USD 1.80/fish (JPY250/fish). Nevertheless, it is said that a price increase is the only option given the decreased quantity of fish arriving at the port. The purchase price has doubled compared to 10 years ago. About 15 years ago, it was about USD 0.43/kg (JPY 60/kg). It has been rising year by year for about 10 years, and in 2021 it increased to USD 4.53 (JPY 627/kg), more than ten times higher. It was the highest ever. In October 2022, the wholesale price per kilogram of Pacific saury at the Tokyo Central Wholesale Market was traded at an average of USD 7.39/kg (JPY 992/kg) per month. One of the reasons for this rapid price increase is the decrease in catches. Looking at changes in the number of landed fish catches nationwide, from the 1980s to around 2014, it was about 200K-350K tons annually. However, it has since declined sharply, reaching a record low of 18,291 tons in 2021.