Something fishy: Japanese have been eating sanma for generations but it’s now in short supply

Sanma – or saury – has also grown increasingly popular outside Japan, due to its relatively low cost and the health benefits of its unsaturated fatty acids

Hauls at Japanese ports have been in decline for years, prompting the industry to impose limits on catches even before this season set record lows

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Sanma, or saury, fish for sale in a Japanese supermarket. Photo: Julian Ryall

Published: 5:13pm, 23 Sep 2019Updated: 3:22pm, 24 Sep 2019

The grilled Pacific saury, for generations a seasonal staple on Japanese dining tables, is disappearing and the fishing industry blames environmental changes and overfishing for the sharp decline in catches.

In July, the eight member states of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) met in Tokyo and for the first time set annual limits for their fleets, although the dramatically shrinking catches suggest it may be some time before stocks recover. Hauls at Japanese ports have been dropping for several years but this season set record lows.

During the first two weeks of August – the traditional saury season for fishermen operating from Hokkaido – fishing boats landed almost 800 tons of saury, known in Japan as sanma or “autumn swordfish”. In the same period in 2018, the fishing boats landed 8,000 tons of fish, and that was considered a bad year. In the peak year of 1958, Japanese vessels brought home about 520,000 tons of saury.

Fish are grilled during the Meguro Saury Festival in Tokyo. Photo: Kyodo

Its pink flesh is rich in protein and is often served as sashimi in Japanese restaurants, seasoned with wasabi, soy sauce and ginger. Alternatively, it can be lightly grilled without removing the skin, with daikon (white radish) and lemon used to add flavour.

Sanma has also grown increasingly popular outside Japan, with its relatively low cost and the health benefits of its unsaturated fatty acids driving demand in Hong Kong and mainland China.