Pacific bluefin tuna quota talks end without agreement in Nagasaki

An international conference on Pacific bluefin tuna catch quotas ended without agreement in Nagasaki on Tuesday. The meeting, which began last Wednesday, considered Japan's proposal to increase the 2027 quota for fish weighing 30 kilograms or more by 25 percent.

Japan also sought to raise the overall quota for large bluefin tuna in the western and central Pacific to 14,836 tons from the current 11,869 tons and to cut the quota for fish under 30 kilograms by 6 percent to 4,823 tons. Mexico opposed the plan. Participating economies, including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States, agreed to continue discussions, though no date or location for the next meeting was set.

New management system considered Delegates also examined a proposed system that would automatically adjust catch quotas according to stock assessments. Several options for quota expansion when stocks are abundant were reviewed. The conference took place amid ongoing efforts to manage Pacific bluefin tuna stocks, which Japan cited as having recovered enough to support higher catches.