The update was paused during an overseas trip. Resuming, I would like to look at whether a recent saury catch limit agreement will affect the sales price.

Japan, China and other members of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) agreed during meetings held in Osaka from April 8–11 to reduce Pacific saury quotas by 5%, after Japan reportedly pushed for a deeper 10% reduction.

The modest cut is unlikely to have a major near-term impact on Japanese wholesale prices, as Japanese catches have remained below quota levels for several years amid weak stock abundance.

Fresh Pacific saury average wholesale prices at Toyosu fluctuated sharply during the recent late fall/early winter season, while frozen products sold at negotiated prices remained comparatively steady in roughly the ¥1,000/kg to ¥1,150/kg range.