High oil prices, elusive fish bite into saury catch

Kushiro, Hokkaido–If the start of the season is any indication, consumers face higher prices for sanma (saury) this year, with lower hauls and rising oil prices to blame, fisheries officials say.

After the fishing season began Sunday, daily hauls are down by two-thirds from the same period last year, say officials in eastern Hokkaido ports.

This year, they said only about half the usual number of saury fishing boats are operating because of soaring fuel prices.
Asahi Shimbun