First Large Pacific Saury of the Season Caught in Hokkaido, Priced Nearly Double Year-on-Year at Auction

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:12 JST, September 3, 2025

AKKESHI, Hokkaido — The first Pacific saury catch of the season was brought in by a fishing boat deploying stick-held-dipnets, the main way for catching saury, at the fishing port in Akkeshi, Hokkaido Prefecture, on the morning of Aug. 16.

While the total haul was only 47.4 tons, below last year’s, the fish averaged 130-140 grams, which is classified as large. The highest price at the first auction was nearly double that of a year prior at ¥900 per kilogram.

Three medium-sized boats set out on Aug. 10 and caught the saury in the North Pacific Ocean, about 1,300 kilometers away. Kenji Endo, a 58-year-old fishing master, said, “The fishing grounds are far away and the schools are sparse, but the size is good for the early season, so we are optimistic.”