Chris Loew

Japan has received the green light to release treated cooling water from the controversial Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean, prompting some of Japan’s neighbors to increase seafood testing requirements or expand the number of Japanese prefectures covered by import bans over fears of radiation contamination.

A positive review from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency, which the plant received on

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Rising costs, sustainability issues, and supply chain problems surrounding traditional fishmeal have pushed some Japanese researchers toward developing alternative sources of protein for use in aquaculture feed, including mushroom substrate.

Mushroom substrate is not the only alternative protein currently undergoing experimentation throughout Japan. Other options such as insects, single-cell organisms, and citrus byproducts are all increasingly

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Manufacturers belonging to the Japan Fish Feed Association will not meet new Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) feed standards, leaving Japan with only one major fish feed maker that is likely to meet the updated requirements: the Japanese subsidiary of Stavanger, Norway-based Skretting.

The London, U.K.-based ASC launched its new Feed Standard V1.01 on 15 June, 2021, and the standards became effective starting 14 January, 2023, allowing feed

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The popularity of “burihara,” a yellowtail crossbreed originally developed in 2017 by Kindai University in Hagashi-Osaka, has begun to skyrocket in Japan, with supermarkets and sushi stores drastically increasing their sales of the product nationwide.

Burihara, which is the offspring of a female “buri,” or yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata), and a male “hiramasa,” or yellowtail amberjack (Seriola lalandi), is

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A working party on neritic tunas – one of seven working parties supporting the Scientific Committee of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) – is trying to get a better handle on the state of the resource, for which detailed data has been lacking.

In contrast to oceanic tunas, which migrate over large areas, neritic tunas such as longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol), eastern little tuna (Euthynnus affinis), frigate tuna (Auxis thazard),

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The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) – two regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) that set rules for tuna fishing in the Pacific Ocean – have rejected a Japanese proposal to speed up catch limit increases of Pacific bluefin tuna.

The Japanese delegation that attended a meeting of the Joint Working Group on Pacific Bluefin Tuna from 3 to 5 July

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Osaka, Japan-based sushi chain Kura Sushi is expanding its local fish project titled “Kura no Ippin,” aiming to implement the initiative in 530 of its restaurants nationwide by August 2023.

The initiative involves the use of locally-caught fish in limited-quantity specials on a weekly basis throughout each of Japan’s eight regions. The fish used in the project change depending on weekly catches so that customers can enjoy

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The Maruha Nichiro Corporation reported in its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending in March 2023 its sales exceeded JPY 1 trillion (USD 7 billion, EUR 6.4 billion) for the first time in the company’s history. The Tokyo-based seafood conglomerate – which employs over 13,000 people, has around 150 subsidiaries, and is the world’s largest seafood company by revenue – reported sales reaching just over JPY 1.02 trillion… Read More

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) verified it has installed the last piece of equipment needed in an undersea tunnel to release advanced liquid processing system (ALPS)-treated water from the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.

The ALPS process aims to remove most radioactive isotopes, allowing them to decay. However, purification cannot fully expel tritium, so TEPCO plans to dilute the treated water

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Choshi, Japan-based seafood trader Iida Suisan, which mainly deals in sardines and mackerel, is considering a move into processing as environmental changes continue to cause catch variability.

Iida Suisan sells about 80,000 metric tons (MT) of fish per year – about half in Japan and half overseas – and the majority of its sales are bulk fish packed by other local processors. Most of its products are sourced locally, as Choshi is the

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