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BUSINESS Wednesday 7 OctOber 2020
Japan seeks to boost catch limits of prized bluefin tuna

By ELAINE KURTENBACH several years ago.
AP Business Writer Demand for bluefin tuna
MITO, Japan (AP) — Ja- is such that any progress
pan has proposed raising draws pressure for bigger
its catch quotas for Pacific catches. Last week, the
bluefin tuna, a fish so highly Marine Stewardship Coun-
prized for sushi and sashimi cil granted certification for
that its population is at less a Japanese fishery's At-
than 5% of historical levels. lantic bluefin, over conser-
An online meeting of coun- vationists' objections that
tries that manage the Pa- such a move might hinder
cific bluefin that began its long-term recovery.
Tuesday is studying the In 2019, Japan reported a
proposal to raise Japan's catch of 3,757 tons of small-
catch limits for both smaller er tuna and 5,132 of larger
and larger bluefin tuna by tuna, according to docu-
20%. ments prepared for the
A slight improvement in online meeting. To comply
the spawning population with its limits, it transferred
for the fish has raised con- 250 tons of its catch quota
fidence that it can recover for smaller Pacific bluefin to
from decades of overfish- its limit for the larger ones,
ing. But conservation ex- according to documents
perts say increasing catch In this March 5, 2007 file photo, a bluefin tuna swims inside farming pens prior to harvest near prepared for this week's on-
limits too soon could undo Ensenada, Mexico line conference.
progress toward restoring Associated Press The proposal to raise its
the species. catch limits would enable
Increasing harvests of such Grantly Galland, an officer bluefin. years as younger Japanese Japanese fisheries to catch
fish could also drive prices in Pew's international fisher- The countries participat- choose not to engage in 801 more tons of smaller
lower, making the industry ies team. ing in management of the such dangerous and diffi- fish, which weigh less than
less profitable in the long Prices for most species of Pacific bluefin committed cult work. 30 kilograms, per year and
run, the Pew Charitable tuna have fallen due to in 2017 to reducing their The latest data show the 976 more tons of larger
Trusts said in a report issued oversupply of caught fish, catches to help return the spawning stock biomass of ones.
Tuesday. he said. species to 20% of its historic the Pacific bluefin, an indi- A similar proposal was re-
The report, Netting Billions The meeting of the Western size by 2034. cator of the fish's ability to jected last year.
2020: A Global Tuna Valu- and Central Pacific Fisher- Japan plays a critical role reproduce at a sustainable A key issue is the unpredict-
ation, put the market val- ies Commission and the In- in the survival of the species level, rising to about 28,000 ability of each year's rate
ue of seven tuna species ter-American Tropical Tuna not just because of its huge metric tons in 2018 from of "recruitment," or repro-
including bluefin at $40.8 Commission includes more appetite for the fish. The Pa- 10,837 metric tons in 2010. duction for bluefin, among
billion in 2018. Despite in- than two dozen countries cific bluefin spawns almost That is still less than half other factors. For this rea-
creased catches, that was that collaborate to man- entirely in seas near Japan the estimate for 1995 of a son many experts favor a
a decrease from $41.6 bil- age fisheries on the high and Korea. Japanese fish- spawning stock biomass shift toward a more system-
lion in 2012. seas and curb illegal and ermen also capture small of 62,784 metric tons. It atic method of managing
"Just because increas- unauthorized fishing and tuna to be farmed to ma- puts the species at about fish catches that would
ing catch is sustainable other activities that en- turity, although the number 4.5% of the baseline level use complex computer
does not mean it is always danger highly migratory of traditional artisanal fish- it would be at if there were modeling to target specific
the right thing to do," said species such as the Pacific ermen has fallen in recent no fishing at all, up from 4% objectives.q

U.S. trade deficit up to $67.1 billion in August, 14-year high

By PAUL WISEMAN of crude oil, cars and auto gust 2019.
AP Economics Writer parts. Hammered by the corona-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The The U.S. deficit with the rest virus and its fallout on the
U.S. trade deficit rose in of the world in the trade of world economy, total U.S.
August to the highest level goods such as airplanes trade -- exports plus im-
in 14 years. and appliances set a re- ports -- is down 15.1% so far
The Commerce Depart- cord $83.9 billion in August. this year to $3.2 trillion.
ment reported Tuesday The United States ran a sur- "Overall, trade flows re-
that the gap between plus of $16.8 billion in the main subdued and the
the goods and services trade of services such as outlook is uncertain given
the United States sells banking and education, a muted global growth
and what it buys abroad lowest since January 2012. and demand backdrop,"
climbed 5.9% in August to The politically sensitive def- said Rubeela Farooqi,
$67.1 billion, highest since icit in the trade of goods chief U.S. economist at
August 2006. Exports rose with China fell 6.7% to High Frequency Econom-
2.2% to $171.9 billion on a $26.4 billion. ics. In this Nov. 4, 2019, file photo, cargo cranes are used to take
containers off of a Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation
surge in shipments of soy- So far this year, the Unit- President Donald Trump boat at the Port of Tacoma in Tacoma, Wash.
beans, but imports rose ed States has recorded a campaigned on a pledge Associated Press
more — up 3.2% to $239 trade gap of $421.8 billion, to bring down America's
billion — led by purchases up 5.7% from January-Au- persistent trade deficits.q