Japan makes its first mid-year adjustment to squid quota, increasing it by 34% to 25,800 tons

This move was approved by the Fisheries Policy Council, an advisory body of Japan's Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, on September 19. The adjustment comes as the actual catch in the Pacific Ocean has exceeded expectations recently, while the fishing industry continues to urge the government to ease production pressures. In February of this year, the Japan Fisheries Agency reduced the TAC to 19,200 tons, a 76% decrease from the previous year, marking the lowest level in over 20 years. The reason at the time was the consideration of reduced resource volume and insufficient expected replenishment. However, the actual catch has been significantly lower than the quota for many years, placing a heavy burden on the industry. In 2000, Japan's catch of flying squid exceeded 300,000 tons, but it has been below 50,000 tons since 2018. Quota Allocation and Reserve Usage The additional 6,600 tons come from the government's national fishery reserve. This reserve was partially ...