Significant Increase in Fresh Bluefin Tuna Imports in the Toyosu Market in 2023

In February 2023, the number of imports at the perishables section of Toyosu Market in Tokyo was 670 pieces, a more than six-fold increase from 106 pieces in February 2022, the volume in 2022 is low due to the coronavirus pandemic. As for the total number of tuna (bluefin tuna) is 398 pieces (34 pieces in the same month in 2022) in the Toyosu Market. The main factor was that 350 pieces of Korean purse seine nets, which were not available in 2022, were collected. The size of the pure seine was mainly small to medium-sized, around 30-50kg. New Zealand also increased to 33 pieces of bluefin tuna (4 pieces in the same month in 2022). There seems to be a lot of southern bluefin tuna bycatch in 2023.