PART 2 – SASHIMI INDUSTRY 6 SASHIMI TUNA FLEETS

6.1 General Overview

This chapter provides an overview of the current status of the major fishing fleets supplying fresh-chilled and frozen tuna to the world’s principal sashimi market, Japan, as well as sizeable markets in the US, Asia, EU and other emerging markets.

Presently, 300,000-400,000 mt of tuna is supplied annually to the Japanese sashimi market.599 A further estimated 60,000-100,000 mt is supplied to other non-Japanese sashimi markets (i.e. US, Korea, EU, Taiwan, China).600 Hence, annual tuna supply to the global sashimi market is currently around 500,000 mt. The most valuable species for sashimi is bluefin, but supply volumes are low. After bluefin, bigeye is the next most valuable species and is the most highly targeted species, followed by yellowfin and then, to a lesser extent, albacore.

The majority of sashimi-grade tuna is supplied by longline vessels.601 The Japanese and Taiwanese longline fleets are the top two suppliers of sashimi-grade tuna, collectively accounting for over half of global longline catches.602 Other significant longline fleets include Korea, China and Indonesia.603

The longline industry is generally characterised by two vessel types – large-scale distant water vessels (supplying frozen tuna) and small-medium scale offshore vessels (supplying fresh tuna).

Distant water vessels are typically around 400-500 GRT, are significantly greater than 24 metres in length, steel-hulled and have ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezer capabilities (-55-60°C) for storing catch. The target species are bigeye and yellowfin. Small volumes of high-value bluefin (Atlantic, Southern, Pacific) are also caught by vessels with ICCAT and CCSBT bluefin quota allocations. Distant water vessels can operate in all three oceans - Atlantic, Indian and Pacific. Previously, there was some seasonal movement of vessels between oceans. However, due to significantly rising operating costs in recent years, in particular, fuel, most vessels now generally limit fishing operations to one ocean. Trip lengths for most fleets are typically 18 months - 2 years, with transhipment, refuelling and re-supplying often conducted at sea. Unlike the purse seine , where vessel ownership is often dominated by large companies, many distant water longline vessels are smaller, family-owned operations.

599 Author’s estimate based on market data and information collected from multiple sources during Japanese industry consultation, June 2010. 600 OPRT estimate, based on anecdotal data from OPRT members, media reports, trading companies, agents. Estimate is considered to be conservative, as it excludes newly emerging markets in South America and Eastern Europe. Interview, OPRT representative during Japan in-country consultation, June 2010. 601 Sashimi-grade tuna is also supplied by other gear types including pole and line (i.e. Japan, Maldives), purse seine special (i.e. Japanese purse seiners with ULT capabilities to freeze incidental bigeye and larger yellowfin for sale to the lower-end sashimi market and handline (e.g. Indonesia, Maldives, Philippines). 602 Miyake et. al. 2010: 24. 603 A large proportion of the Indonesia longline catch is from small-scale coastal vessels, in contrast to other major fleets comprised of large distant water and offshore vessels.

262 263 Smaller-scale fresh tuna longliners are typically less than 100 GRT, below 24 metres in length, fibreglass reinforced plastic (FRP) or steel-hulled and use ice or refrigerated seawater (RSW) for storing catch.604 Operations are limited to one ocean area and given that the catch is marketed fresh, trip lengths are generally 25 days or less. The sashimi-grade portion of the catch is usually offloaded in ports with good air-freight connections to Japan and other markets, while the non- sashimi grade portion is either sold in local markets, processed into export-grade value-added fresh and frozen tuna products, or frozen whole round for export or shipping back to home ports.

Longline vessels targeting albacore for canning (e.g. Taiwanese, Chinese, PIC fleets) or other species such as sharks and , may also supply incidental bigeye and yellowfin catch to the fresh sashimi market.

Longline vessel numbers in most fleets have declined markedly over the past 5-10 years, in part due to serious profitability constraints stemming from increasing operating costs (especially fuel) and declining catches relating to overcapacity and stock sustainability issues. Further vessel number reductions relate to capacity reduction programs implemented by the Governments of the two largest distant water fleets, Japan and Taiwan, in an effort to reduce global overcapacity. This trend is demonstrated by the number of large distant water longline vessels registered with the Organisation for the Promotion of Responsible Tuna Fishing (OPRT) (which accounts for 90% of distant water longline vessels globally).605 In 2004, 1,454 large distant water longline vessels were registered members. By 2010, this number was reduced to 1,067 (Table 6.1), with major reductions experienced in the Japanese and Taiwanese fleets, largely as a result of vessel buy-back and scrapping programs. A notable exception is the Chinese fleet which, contrary to vessel number declines in other major fleets (i.e. Japan, Taiwan, Korea), has increased in size, due largely to the purchase of ex-Japanese vessels which had ceased operations due to bankruptcy.

604 An exception is a segment of the Taiwanese longline fleet measuring under 24 meters in length which have both fresh and ULT capabilities (see section 6.3.3). The number of Taiwanese vessels in this segment is believed to be increasing. 605 The Organisation for the Promotion of Responsible Tuna Fishing (OPRT) was established in 2000 to address overcapacity, IUU fishing and by-catch issues in the global tuna longline fishery, as well as to promote responsible bluefin tuna farming. OPRT’s membership consists of over 1,000 large scale longline vessel owners and 21 organisations representing traders, distributors and consumers in Japan. For further information about OPRT activities: www.oprt.or.jp.

264 265 Table 6.1 Number of Distant Water Longline Vessels Registered with OPRT, 2002-2010

Members 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Japan 490 495 473 434 381 363 360 254 275 Taiwan 562 599 597 600 526 420 392 369 359 Korea 183 176 174 172 172 160 156 148 146 Philippines 6 17 17 18 26 28 28 26 26 Indonesia - 14 14 14 14 15 17 17 15 China - - 105 113 113 117 121 136 138 Ecuador - - 5 5 4 4 4 5 7 Seychelles - - 21 21 21 21 27 27 32 Vanuatu - - 48 48 48 48 48 48 48 Fiji ------19 21 Total 1,241 1,301 1,454 1,425 1,305 1,176 1,153 1,049 1,067

Source: OPRT 2011.

A number of key issues currently impacting longline vessel fishing operations globally include: Longline fishing overcapacity: Excess vessel numbers, coupled with operational and technological developments (e.g. at-sea transhipment, increased hook usage, improved freezer power/capacity) has resulted in longline fishing overcapacity on a global scale. This has placed increasing fishing pressure on vulnerable tuna stocks (particularly bluefin, bigeye and yellowfin) and has compromised (and continues to do so) vessels’ profitability. Purse overcapacity: Excess fishing capacity in purse seine is also negatively impacting the longline sector, given purse seiners’ high levels of incidental by- catch of juvenile bigeye and yellowfin (particularly through use of FADs), which in turn is affecting adult biomass. There are widespread calls from the longline industry for more effective management of purse seine fisheries to minimise fishing impacts on bi