SEOUL, KOREA - The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said on May 26 it held a second subcommittee meeting with the Japanese counterparts to determine the fish catch volume for the 2013 fishing season (July 2013 to June 2014). But the negotiations fell through because of differences in opinion. As for the fishing activity limits within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the Korean side proposed that the current level of 60,000 tons by 860 fishing boats be maintained while the Japanese negotiators insisted on cutting both figures by 25 percent.
The Korean representatives also demanded the abolition of a rule requiring the boats to submit global positioning system records to authorities. To this, the Japanese delegates responded the rule would go in effect on March 1 next year as planned.
The catch limit for largehead hairtail, a cutlassfish species considered delicacy in both Japan and Korea, was suggested by the Korean side to be maintained at the last year's level of 2,120 tons in order to guarantee livelihoods of fishermen. But the Japanese negotiators held that the limit be cut by a large margin on conservation grounds.
The two sides will meet again in June in a third meeting before the new fishing season begins. But it remains to be seen whether the Korean and Japanese sides could reduce their differences.
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