Exports of seafood (including fishmeal) from Japan rose a massive 78.4 percent in May compared to the same time last year, hitting 60,449 metric tons.
The average unit price fell 11.4 percent, but the total value was still 58.1 percent higher than last year at JPY 17.8 billion (€136.7 million/$178.5 million), according to preliminary statitstics from the ministry of finance.
Yellowfin tuna exports showed the biggest increase,500 percent up on last year, and salmon and trout followed closelybehind with an increase of 350 percent.
Continuing April's trend, scallop and bonito exports more than doubled, showing respective increases of 165 percent and 138 percent, while mackerel rose 63.2 percent and cod exports increased by 23 percent.
Meanwhile, seafood imports (again, including fishmeal) to Japan fell 8.6 percent to 218,957 metric tons, led by a massive drop in salmon and trout trade.
Around 24,000 metric tons of the fish was shipped to Japan last May but this year it fell by a third to 16,018 metric tons. Chilean coho salmon plummeted 24 percent, totaling 6,333 metric tons, and the unit price also plunged 20 percent.
Big-eye tuna (7,260 metric tons) and yellowfin tuna(4,811 metric tons) also dropped notably -- by 29.1 percent and 11.3 percent respectively.
Total import value, however, edged up 0.7 percent to JPY 126.8 billion (€973.7 million/$1.3 billion), with the average unit price increasing by 10.1 percent.
This was led by Japan's biggest seafood import -- frozen shrimp -- increasing 9.1 percent to 15,581 metric tons, with a unit price spike of 27.6 percent.
Pollock surimi imports also rose, up 43 percent to 12,210 metric tons, but with a 10 percent decrease in unit price on last May.
Shishamo smelt increased 20.3 percent to 5,162 metric tons and crab (4,437 metric tons) and octopus (5,173 metric tons) also jumped 15.1 percent and 21.9 percent respectively