Japan - National Report 2021

This Japanese national report describes following eight relevant topics stipulated in the 2021 national report guideline mainly in recent five years (2016-2020) (2020 is provisional) , i.e. (1) Fishery information (longline and purse seine fishery), (2) fleet information, (3) catch and effort by species and gear, (4) ecosystem and bycatch (sharks, seabirds, marine turtles), (5) national data collection and processing systems including “logbook data collection and verification”, “vessel monitoring system”, “observer scheme”, “port sampling programs” and “unloading and transshipment”, “Monitoring billfish catch”, and sampling plans for mobulid rays”, (6) national research programs, (7) Implementation of Scientific Committee recommendations and resolutions of the IOTC relevant to the Scientific Committee”, and (8) “literature cited”. Highlights from the eight topics are described as follows: Japan is currently operating longline and purse seine fisheries in the Indian Ocean. Catch and effort data are collected mainly through logbooks. Bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, southern bluefin tuna are main components of the catch by longliners, while three species (skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tuna) are exploited by purse seiners. In recent years, catch and effort by longliners are in a low level mainly because of piracy activities off Somalia. Japan has been dispatching scientific observers in accordance with the Resolution 11/04, whose coverage has been more than the 5% compliance level in recent years except for 2020 (provisional) due to COVID-19 pandemic. A number of information including bycatch and biological data, has been collected through the observer program. Japan has been conducting several research activities.