Pacific saury caught off Hokkaido are seen at Choshi fishing port in the Chiba Prefecture city of Choshi, on the morning of Nov. 22, 2021. (Mainichi/Takashi Kondo)

       CHOSHI, Chiba -- The season's first catch of Pacific saury, a popular fall flavor in Japan, arrived at Choshi fishing port east of Tokyo on the morning of Nov. 22, more than one month later than last year due to the fish's record low hauls across Japan.

       The day's load totaled 16.5 metric tons, down 2.5 tons from last year's first day of saury catches. Those involved in the industry say this year might record an even poorer haul than the previous year.

       The 167-ton Dai-37 Denmaru boat belonging to the Choshi Fisheries Cooperative Association returned to Choshi port after fishing for saury in the open sea off the Hokkaido city of Nemuro in the northeast tip of the country on Nov. 18. The fish caught this time were small, each weighing 90 to 110 grams. Their price at auction ranged from 637 yen to 681 yen (less than $6) per kilogram, comparatively high for the common fish.

       According to the national saury stick-held dip-net fishing cooperative association based in Tokyo, schools of fish can normally be found off the Japanese archipelago around this time of the year, but fishing locations have moved further away than last year.

       Saury are widely distributed in the north Pacific Ocean, but in recent years their southward routes have moved further off the coast, and resources have dwindled. The association says Japan's saury haul marked a record low in 2020 at 29,566 tons, a 27% decrease from what had been the poorest catch recorded the previous year.

       (Japanese original by Takashi Kondo, Choshi Local Bureau)

       Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0