An international push to let fishermen catch more Pacific bluefin tuna has collapsed after Mexico unexpectedly blocked a Japanese proposal to raise quotas for one of the world's most valuable fish. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission's northern committee, meeting in Nagasaki from 9 July, broke up without agreement, an unusually public failure for a body that has spent a decade rebuilding the stock.
Japan, whose appetite for bluefin sashimi drives the global market, came to the table with the recovery on its side. Managers cut catches hard after the spawning population crashed to about 12,000 tonnes in 2010; by 2022 it had rebounded to roughly 144,000 tonnes. Tokyo wanted to reward that turnaround by raising the regional quota for large bluefin, fish over 30 kilograms, by around 25 percent while trimming the allowance for smaller fish by 6 percent, and by moving toward a system that adjusts quotas automatically as the biomass changes.
The science backed the direction of travel. "One reason for the increase in bluefin tuna is that resource management has been successful," said Masahiko Ariji, a professor who studies the fishery. Under the current rules the combined regional quota stands at 11,869 tonnes of large bluefin and 5,125 tonnes of small fish, with Japan already holding the biggest share, 8,421 and 4,407 tonnes respectively. Its large-fish allocation alone is 50 percent higher than it was in 2024.
Mexico's objection stopped the plan cold. Any change requires consensus, and without it the proposal cannot advance. Japanese officials made little effort to hide their frustration. "We were unable to reach an agreement because of the unreasonable actions of one country and we are feeling outraged," said Takumi Fukuda, a councillor at Japan's Fisheries Agency.
The deadlock lands at an awkward moment for Japan's own crews, who are already catching more bluefin than their quotas let them keep. With early-season fish turning up in unusual numbers, some boats are being forced to release tuna to preserve their allocation for the fattier, more valuable winter catch.
"It's truly upsetting to have to release fish that are right there in the net," said Tadasuke Nakamura, a fisherman in Hakodate. Toshiharu Uratani, who fishes out of Fukui, put it more bluntly: "As it stands, we have to let the fish go, which means our efforts are wasted."
The stakes are enormous. In January a single bluefin sold for 510.3 million yen, about $3.2 million, at the first Toyosu market auction of the year, a reminder of why fractions of a quota are fought over so fiercely. Negotiations will continue in further rounds; had a deal been struck, it would have been adopted at the commission's annual meeting in late November and applied from 2027.
Bluefin's comeback is not confined to the Pacific. On the other side of the world, Britain's Atlantic bluefin fishery, a separate stock managed under different rules, opened for 2026 on 13 July with record participation. The Marine Management Organisation authorised 30 commercial vessels, double last year's number, and issued permits to 145 recreational boats running a catch-and-release sport fishery.
"The start of this year's bluefin tuna season is an important milestone in the development of this emerging fishery," said Andy Wills, the MMO's interim head of future fisheries. Hannah Rudd, head of marine at the Angling Trust, said the recreational side was thriving: "The Angling Trust is delighted to see the bluefin tuna recreational catch and release fishery continue to grow."
For now the Pacific's biggest players are left where they started, with more fish in the water than their rulebook lets them land and no agreement on what to do about it.