TOKYO Japan on Monday promised to halve its quota for southern bluefin tuna and denied allegations it has overfished the endangered species by thousands of tons every year for the past two decades.
Under an accord with an international conservation agency, Japan will reduce its annual catch to 3,000 tons for five years starting 2007 from the 6,065 tons it was allowed in 2006, Japan’s Fisheries Agency said in a statement. The global catch was also set to drop over 20 percent.
Japan, which imports most of the bluefin tuna caught around the world to use in sashimi and sushi dishes, has been accused by conservation agencies of surpassing its quota.
Australian Fisheries Management Authority managing director Richard McLoughlin reportedly said in August that, despite the 6,065-ton national quota, Japanese fishermen have fished between 12,000 and 20,000 tons per year for the last 20 years.