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August Seafood Imports Drop 12% to 205,900 Tons

September 30, 2013

Marine foods imported in August (fishmeal included) were 205,884 tons, a decline of 12.3 percent over the corresponding month a year ago. The average unit price spiked 23.1 percent and the total import value climbed 8 percent to JPY129.2 billion (€973 million/$1.315 billion).

Pollack surimi, shrimp, and crab imports declined drastically. A year ago, 14,200 tons of pollack surimi was shipped to Japan, however this time around only 5,512 tons was imported, which was a marked drop of 61.3 percent.

The following core commodities exhibited significant drops: shrimp 15,312 tons (down 11.7 percent), bigeye tuna 6,006 tons (down 29.7 percent), crab 4,265 tons (down 30.3 percent), and yellowfin tuna 2,903 tons (42.1 percent).

Conversely, salmon/trout (7.8 percent), Sebastes matsubarae (166.5 percent), squid (48.5 percent), and octopus (30.5 percent) all increased.

Striking unit price hikes were also experienced: salmon/trout (37 percent), shrimp (36.9 percent), crab (21 percent), and fishmeal (46 percent).

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