The catch of sardines by purse seining off the east coast of Hokkaido exceeded 200,000 tons.
The number of sardines caught exceeded 200,000 tons for the first time in 28 years last year, and this is the second consecutive year the fishery has surpassed the 200,000-ton mark.
Of this, 125,000 tons, or 60% of the total, were landed at Kushiro Port.
This year's purse seine fishing off the eastern coast of Hokkaido started on June 25, and 24 fleets are operating.
The fishing season ends at the end of this month, but the total allowable catch (TAC) set for resource management is 250,000 tons in total.
This year's sardine fishery has seen some boats land several times a day, with some days bringing in a total of 5,000 tons of fish per day.
The fish are small throughout the season, mostly in the 50-cubic centigrade range, but there are also fish in the 20- and 30-cubic centigrade range.
Therefore, 90% of the fish is used for meal as feed or fertilizer, and about 10% is used for processing. Mackerel is only landed in a small amount.
The officials said, "We got a good amount, but the shape is small, so we can't say it was good.
