Looking to refute claims that marine resources are declining, the Japanese Fisheries Agency has released a 329-page report declaring that stocks of most fish, whales and tuna are in good supply.
The report lists the stock of 50 species, including tuna, whales and sharks, according to the oceans they inhabit. It also provides the combined commercial catch of the species over the last five years.
Using data from the Fisheries Research Agency, the Institute of Cetacean Research and international fishery organizations, the agency estimates the maximum volume of each species that can be caught without endangering stocks.
Of the five species of tuna surveyed, only the bluefin tuna and Southern bluefin living in the western Atlantic Ocean are in serious decline, according to the agency.
Bluefin in the Pacific Ocean, by contrast, have maintained relatively stable stocks; with annual catch volumes totaling 13,000 to 26,000 tons over the last five years. The agency calculates that Pacific bluefin stocks can be maintained if the number of bluefin caught does not exceed 18,000 tons per year.
Skipjack tuna stocks also remain relatively high, according to the report.
On the other hand, big-eye tuna in the eastern Pacific have been caught at the rate of 100,000 tons in certain years, far above the agency's conservation ceiling of 70,000 tons.
The exact population of the blue whale is not known, but the massive mammal is extremely scarce, according to the report.
Though the report was published last year, this year's edition weighs in at a hefty 329 pages, four times last year's length.
â€The level of resources is such that if managed appropriately, they can be utilized,†said Masayuki Komatsu, head of the agency's Resources and Environment Research Division. “Claims that tuna stocks are being exhausted due to overfishing by Japanese fishermen are mistaken.â€
The agency, which is part of the farm ministry, is considering putting out an English version.