E. Asia fleets to suspend tuna fishing. Fuel costs hit Japan, China, ROK, Taiwan

Tuna-fishing boat operators’ organizations in Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan have agreed to suspend operations for several months in the face of soaring fuel costs, sources said Saturday.

The economic conditions made it difficult for tuna fishermen to make ends meet, while the measure also is expected to help declining populations of the fish to recover, according to the sources.

The suspension is expected to result in higher prices for bigeye and yellowfin tuna, which are mainly consumed as raw fish and processed into canned food.

Some tuna-fishing boats in China, South Korea and Taiwan already have stopped working.

Yomiuri