Japan's Fisheries Agency is asking coastal fishermen in northern and eastern Japan to curb their tuna catches, reported The Japan Times.
The alert, issued Wednesday, was the first since Japan introduced a stricter tuna resource management system in January as part of efforts to manage bluefin stocks in the Pacific Ocean.
The advisory is for the northern Pacific region of coastal Japan, where bluefin tuna catches reached 70 percent of the upper limit. It comprises Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures.
The agency said catches of bluefin tuna there amounted to 243 metric tons at the end of August, topping 70 percent of the upper limit of 346 metric tons.
Japan launched the stricter resource management system under an international agreement on the back of a sharp drop in bluefin tuna numbers in the Pacific Ocean.
The agency sets an upper limit for coastal fishing in each of six regions around the country.
When bluefin tuna catches reach 70 percent of the limit, the...
