Bluefin tuna TAC Case: Lessons for Japanese fishery resources management

Abstract

In Japan, the management of fishery resources has traditionally been implemented through non-binding administrative guidance and fishermen’s voluntary efforts rather than legally binding catch limits. This “soft” approach has often resulted in ineffective resources management in controlling the harvest levels in relation to the reproductive capacity of stocks. In 2014, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) adopted stringent measures to rebuild the depleted stock of Pacific bluefin tuna. Consequently, Japan was mandated to restrict the national harvest levels within the limits assigned by the WCPFC from the fishing year 2015. The Japanese government assigned a quota to each control division (e.g., prefectures and fishing sectors), but they lacked a legal foundation. Subsequently, the non-legally binding quotas were repeatedly exceeded. In 2017, the Japanese government finally designated Pacific bluefin tuna as a species whose harvest is regulated by a total allowable catch (TAC). In Hokkaido Prefecture, where significant overage occurred prior to the introduction of legally binding TAC regulations, the subsequent management periods saw a prohibition on harvesting small-sized bluefin tuna, which led some small-scale fishermen in the Rumoi Sea Area to file a lawsuit. This particular case highlights the inadequacies inherent in Japan’s traditional approach to the management of fishery resources. The 2018 amendment to the 1949 Fisheries Act aimed at strengthening resources management by employing TACs for major fish stocks. However, concerns have been raised that these novel TAC-based regulations could lead to serious conflict and confusion similar to those observed in the bluefin tuna TAC case.