According to Okinawa Prefecture Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, catches of tuna decreased about two percent during the period from May to July last year.

Department officials pointed out that the Japan-Taiwan Fisheries Agreement came to affect on May 10. The total haul of bluefin tuna by Okinawan fishermen came to 20 tons during the three months from May through July, but the department officials declined to say whether the reason was increased competition form Taiwanese fishermen after the agreement, or some other reason. “Objectively, the catch has gone down, but we will not know whether the reason is because of the agreement. This needs a long-term evaluation,” a division official said.

Also, in the past there have been various cases when fishing equipment was damaged when Taiwanese ships got entangled in them.

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