Official Gazette updates eight resource quotas including Pacific saury and sardine

In the Official Gazette dated October 29, 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) promulgated MAFF Notice No. 1630, amending the allowable catch for the 2026 management year for Pacific saury, Japanese jack mackerel, Japanese sardine, Japanese anchovy, Japanese anchovy (urume), and red sea bream. The notice was issued under the name of Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Shin Takebe, and the new quantities apply from the same date. Fishers and fisheries processing and distribution operators must review their operational plans for the current management year, which is already underway, to align with these quantities.

Framework for Publication of Quantities Based on Article 15 of the Fisheries Act

The basis for the amendment is Article 15, Paragraph 6 of the Fisheries Act (Act No. 267 of 1949), and the provisions of Paragraph 5 of the same Article, which is applied mutatis mutandis. The state employs a system of determining and publishing the total allowable catch, the allowable catch by prefecture, and the Minister-managed allowable catch for each specified fishery resource.

The amendment pertains to a portion of MAFF Notice No. 1832 of 2025 (Matter concerning the publication of quantities listed in the items of Article 15, Paragraph 1 of the Fisheries Act for the 2026 management year regarding specified fishery resources (Pacific saury, Japanese jack mackerel, Japanese sardine (Pacific stock), Japanese sardine (Tsushima Warm Current stock), Japanese anchovy (Tsushima Warm Current stock), Japanese anchovy (urume, Tsushima Warm Current stock), Japanese anchovy (Pacific stock), and red sea bream (Western Japan Sea/East China Sea stock))).

The target management year is from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. The structure remains as before, with sections from “First” to “Eighth” for each resource, listing the allowable catch, allowable catch by prefecture, and Minister-managed allowable catch; in this instance, some of those numerical values were replaced.

Breakdown of the Quantities Replaced This Time

The notice is in a table format comparing the “Before Amendment” column and the “After Amendment” column, with underlined portions indicating the amended sections. The numerical values explicitly stated in the Official Gazette are as follows:

• Target Resources: Pacific saury, Japanese jack mackerel, Japanese sardine (Pacific stock), Japanese sardine (Tsushima Warm Current stock), Japanese anchovy (Tsushima Warm Current stock), Japanese anchovy (urume, Tsushima Warm Current stock), Japanese anchovy (Pacific stock), red sea bream (Western Japan Sea/East China Sea stock)
• Quantity Categories: Allowable catch (related to Article 15, Paragraph 1, Item 1), allowable catch by prefecture (related to Item 2 of the same paragraph), Minister-managed allowable catch (related to Item 3 of the same paragraph)
• Explicit Change: The allowable catch by prefecture for Mie Prefecture within the Japanese sardine (Pacific stock) was changed from 13,800 tons to 16,800 tons
• Increase: 3,000 tons (approx. 21.7% increase)
• Date of Promulgation/Application: October 29, 2026

The quota increase for Mie Prefecture appears to be an adjustment based on the fact that the catch of the Pacific sardine stock has remained within the prefecture-specific allocation. The focus moving forward will be on consistency with the allocations of other prefectures and the total allowable catch for the overall resource.

Repeated Quantity Revisions Within the Fiscal Year

Since the start of the 2026 management year, the changes to the notification have occurred more than once. Figures have been replaced in response to resource conditions and catch progress through MAFF Notification No. 1334 (August 28, 2026), MAFF Notification No. 1348 (September 2, 2026), MAFF Notification No. 1384 (September 8, 2026), and the notification dated October 14.

In the notification dated August 28, regarding the North Pacific chub mackerel fishery, the Minister’s total allowable catch was revised for both the management category governed by catch quotas and the management category governed by the total volume of catch. This suggests that the quantity management system operates in linkage with mid-year resource assessments and actual fishing operations.

The current notification also takes the form of an integrated replacement of quantities for eight resources, including chub mackerel, as part of these continuous revisions. Because quantities are divided minutely by resource and category, practitioners must verify the specific row corresponding to their own stock and management category.

Impact on the Field

For the fleets handling chub mackerel, Pacific sardine, and Japanese jack mackerel, as well as the seafood processors and wholesale markets that use these as raw materials, this change directly affects the outlook for landing volumes and raw material procurement for the remaining two months of the year. In particular, because the prefecture-specific allocation quotas are linked to fishing permits and catch management within the governor-managed categories, quota increases at the prefectural level are reflected in the operational opportunities for members of local fisheries cooperatives.

On the other hand, the fact that quantities are changed mid-year is a factor causing fluctuations in raw material prices and inventory planning for the processing and distribution sectors. The extent to which the explicitly stated quota increase will lead to actual landings depends on resource assessments and the condition of the fishing grounds; therefore, the timing and content of the next revision will continue to be closely monitored.

Source: MAFF Notification No. 1630 (dated October 29, 2026, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shin Takebe). The legal basis is Article 15, Paragraph 6 of the Fisheries Act (Act No. 267 of 1949) (mutatis mutandis application of Paragraph 5 of the same Article). The subject of the change is MAFF Notification No. 1832 of 2025.