Russia And Japan Exchanged Mackerel And Saury Fishing Quotas

Russia and Japan have finalized their 2026 quota swap for Pacific saury and mackerel. On August 25, the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency issued Order No. 537, granting Japan an additional 2,000 tons of Pacific saury quota within Russia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), bringing Japan's total saury quota in the Russian EEZ to 12,859 tons in 2026. In return, Japan has granted Russia an additional 2,000 tons of Pacific mackerel quota within its EEZ, increasing Russia's total mackerel quota in the Japanese EEZ to 8,000 tons in 2026. The fisheries authorities of both countries confirmed the swap through an exchange of letters. The timing of this swap, occurring during a crucial stage of the saury fishing season, demonstrates that quota arrangements are adjusted according to the actual fishing conditions, rather than being fixed at the beginning of the year.

The swap takes place against the backdrop of a continued slump in the Russian Pacific mid-to-upper-level fish catch. Data from the Pacific Branch of the Russian Federal Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (TINRO) shows that as of mid-August, the catches of saury, Pacific mackerel, and sardines in Russia's exclusive economic zone were all less than 200 tons. The simultaneous low catches of all three species indicate that the problem lies in the fishing season itself, rather than an occasional fluctuation in a single year. With sardines, saury, and mackerel all experiencing declines, the overall harvest of small, mid-to-upper-level fish in the Russian Far East is poor.

Pacific saury is the species with the most glaring discrepancy. In 2025, Russia set its recommended catch for Pacific saury in its Exclusive Economic Zone at 82,000 tons, but the actual catch was less than 1,000 tons, less than 2% of the recommended amount. The gap between the recommended and actual catch was two orders of magnitude, highlighting the stark disconnect between resource assessment and the reality of the fishing season in 2025. The recommended catch for 2026 was drastically reduced to 24,300 tons, a decrease of over 70%, a correction to reality; even so, the industry's expectation for Russia's total Pacific saury catch this year is only 30,000-40,000 tons, still significantly lower than the 2025 recommended amount, and there is no sign of a turnaround in the sluggish Pacific saury fishing season in Russia in 2026.

Multilateral management is tightening simultaneously. In April, the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) decided to further reduce the total Pacific saury catch in the Convention Area of ​​the United Nations (CSU) by 5% to 192,375 tons in 2026, down from 2025 levels, to alleviate the persistent population pressure. The NPFC also set the Pacific mackerel catch target at 47,940 tons for 2026 and a further reduction to 42,300 tons for 2027. Russia's proposed catch target only covers its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), while the industry's anticipated total catch of 30,000-40,000 tons includes operations in other areas within the CSU, resulting in different statistical methods for the two figures. The NPFC's annual reduction in the total catch, coupled with Russia's own weak fishing season, has led to a tight regional supply of both saury and mackerel.

This round of fishermanship swap between Russia and Japan involves exchanging surplus quotas for resources they both lack. Russia's Far East saury fishing season has been dismal for two consecutive fishing periods. The Russian fleet, dissatisfied with the recommended catch volume within its exclusive economic zone, relinquished a 2,000-ton quota to Japan in exchange for an equivalent amount of mackerel fishing rights in Japanese waters. Although saury and mackerel are both mid-to-upper-level migratory fish in the Pacific Ocean, their fishing season rhythms, operating areas, and market uses differ. Russia is filling its own fishing gaps through this swap, while Japan is expanding its saury fishing space in Russian waters. While the individual swap amounts are small, Russia's total mackerel quota in Japanese waters has increased to 8,000 tons, and Japan's total saury quota in Russian waters has reached 12,859 tons, significantly expanding the operating depth of both fleets.

For the regional market, the uncertainty of Russian saury production directly impacts supply. In 2025, actual catches were less than 1,000 tons, and Russian saury had almost disappeared from the market. Even if the projected catch of 30,000-40,000 tons is achieved in 2026, it will still be far below the recommended amount of 82,000 tons for the previous year, and the supply of saury will continue to rely on other fishing areas. Japan's total quota for saury in Russia's exclusive economic zone has increased to 12,859 tons, while Russia's total quota for mackerel in Japan's exclusive economic zone has reached 8,000 tons. How much of these two figures will actually be caught during the fishing season is a direct window into observing the actual effect of the exchange arrangements between the two countries.