A consortium of unnamed US firms is planning to build a large tuna farm off the coast of California to raise the fish mainly for export to Japan, according to sources familiar with the project.
The US Department of Commerce is reportedly preparing a recommendation to support the construction of the farm saying that tuna exports to Japan - the world's biggest consumer of the fish - would help pare down the overall trade deficits that the US has with Japan, they said.
Tuna is one of the most popular items at Japanese sushi restaurants and other eateries with the fish traded at extremely high prices there.
The consortium is considering building the farm about 15 miles off the coast of California as a 1.5 square-mile “nursery†for young tuna brought in from other locations, the sources said.
The announcement of the planned project comes as international regulations on tuna farming are being introduced because of growing concerns about depleting tuna stocks and the environmental deterioration of the species natural habitats.
Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the tuna farmed in the US could pose a “problem†for Japan's import controls on the fish, which were imposed “for its conservation and environmental protection.â€
Australia, Mexico, several European countries including France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, and Turkey, have been farming tuna primarily for export to Japan for several years.
Last year, the 12 tuna farms operating today in the Mediterranean region alone reportedly produced 11,000 ton of tuna - more than half the world's total.
Source: US Press
