In April, Japanese fish and seafood imports -- including fishmeal and fish oil -- dived 9.3 percent year-on-year to 237,449 metric tons, according to the International Marine Foods Circulation Council.
While the average unit price increased 3 percent, total value plunged to ¥ 137.8 billion (€1.1 billion/$1.4 billion), down 6.6 percent compared with April last year.
Imports of cod roe, yellowfin tuna, octopus and fishmeal showed the biggest decline year-on-year.
Cod roe imports reduced significantly by 34.6 percent to 8,894 metric tons, from 13,600 tons in April 2012. Yellowfin tuna declined 39.3 percent year-on-year, while imports of octopus wentdown 28.6 percent, and fishmeal by 33.9 percent.
Pollock surimi, big eye tuna, and albacore, on the other hand, experienced increased imports, going up by 17.4 percent, 24.7 percent, and 38.3 percent respectively.
Compared to the same month last year, live eel plummeted 20 percent in unit price, however, volume went up 17.7percentage points. Cooked BBQ eel also saw a 10 percent decrease in the unit price but also here the imported volume saw a an increase by 20.3
percent.
Mainstay salmon and trout nudged up by 2.7 percent to 39,673 metric tons, seeing a 20 percent fall in the unit price. Shrimp came to 15,521 metric tons, up 9.5 percent. The unit price hiked 16 percent