サンマ水揚げ、過去最低　市場価格は１．５倍―２０年

　全国さんま棒受網漁業協同組合（東京）が６日発表した２０２０年の全国サンマ水揚げ量は、前年比２７％減の２万９５６６トンにとどまった。記録が残る１９６１年以降で過去最低を５０年ぶりに更新した１９年（４万５１７トン）を下回る歴史的な不漁。温暖化の影響もあり、産地市場の取引価格は前年の１．５倍に上昇し、大衆魚だった秋の味覚はますます食卓から遠のきつつある。
　地域別の水揚げ量は、主産地の北海道が４６％減の１万１６１３トン、岩手県は７％減の７５１２トン、宮城県が３％減の９６２５トン。高値が続く市場価格は１キロ当たり平均４８０円に上昇した一方、小ぶりのサンマも目立った。（2021/01/06-18:14）

Japan's saury catches in 2020 fell 27 pct from the previous year to a record low of 29,566 tons, an industry body said Wednesday.
   The previous smallest catches were 40,517 tons, set in 2019, which had represented the lowest level since comparable data became available in 1961. Reflecting the poor catches, market prices for saury in 2020 rose 50 pct from the 2019 levels to an average of 480 yen per kilogram, according to the saury fishing association.
   Catches in waters off the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, the main fishing ground for saury, dropped 46 pct to 11,613 tons, and those off Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, both in northeastern Japan, fell by 7 pct to 7,512 tons and by 3 pct to 9,625 tons, respectively. Many of the saury caught in 2020 were small.
   The poor catches were apparently due to a decrease in the amount of saury migrating to waters near Japan because of rising seawater temperatures amid global warming. In addition, Chinese and Taiwanese fishing boats are catching saury massively before the fish reach waters near Japan.
   With Japanese saury fishers increasingly forced to operate in high seas far away from the coast, mainly using large vessels, as a result, they are facing greater financial burdens, an official of the association said.