Saurian is losing its status as a common staple on Japanese tables, The Japan Times reported on May 25.
Saurian catches in Japan have fallen sharply with no signs of recovery, and the fish caught are often small and expensive.
Japan’s saury catch fell to about 18,000 tonnes in 2022, hitting a record low for the fourth year in a row, before rising slightly to about 25,000 tonnes last year.
Saury fishing in Japan usually begins in July or later, but Chinese and Taiwanese fishing boats often operate in high waters starting in June, raising concerns that fewer saury will end up in waters near Japan.
Poor catches have caused a decrease in consumption. Japanese households bought an average of 235 grams of saury last year, about 10% of the level recorded in 2009, when saury was plentiful, according to an Interior Ministry survey.
The study found that Japanese households bought only about two pieces of saury in 2023, as saury sold at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market last year mainly weighed about 100 grams per fish.
In times of abundant catches, saurian could be easily purchased in retail stores for less than 100 yen (57 rubles) per fish, attracting fans who would stock up and eat saurian until they tired of it.
But opportunities to buy saury have declined in recent years due to inconsistent catches, and retailers in Tokyo now sell it for 200 to 300 yen (170 rubles), even in the fall, when it is in season. The cost of thawed saury, available all year round, is also increasing. “I didn’t eat saury last year,” even one market worker told Toyosu.
The large saurian weighing 160 grams or more was a rarity at the Toyosu market last fall. Even frozen saury is becoming less available. “I’m looking forward to increasing the volume of big, fat saury,” says a market worker.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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