With regard to bluefin tuna, whose catch is limited in order to protect the stock, a group of fishermen operating along the coast, such as Oma Town in Aomori Prefecture, requested the government to increase the catch allocation.
Bluefin tuna stocks are managed based on international agreements, and the government allocates about 6% of Japan's catch quota to offshore fisheries managed by the national government and about 4% to coastal fisheries managed by prefectural governments.
On the 29th, members of fishermen's associations operating along the coast, including the town of Oma in Aomori Prefecture, which is known for its "Oma tuna," visited the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and handed over a request to State Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Takemura requesting an increase in the allocation of catches in coastal fisheries.
The petition states that the impact of coastal bluefin tuna fishing on stocks is limited, and that the allocation of catch between offshore fisheries conducted by approximately 20 organizations and coastal fisheries by more than 2,<> individuals and organizations is not evidence-based.
Yukihiko Takamatsu, co-chairman of the National Coastal Fishermen's Liaison Council, who made the request, said, "I told the deputy minister that we are not confused because there are no fish, but that the situation is that the stock has recovered sufficiently and there are too many fish, and the field is in turmoil.