Japan's coastal tuna catch has decreased sharply, apparently due to overfishing in the Pacific by Taiwanese fishing companies using large vessels in violation of a regional conservation agreement, the Fisheries Agency and other sources said.
These sources claim Taiwanese companies have been catching massive amounts of tuna in the Western and Central Pacific -- one of the world's major tuna grounds -- by using large vessels built in violation of the February 1992 accord.
All of the newly built vessels are registered with small countries, including Vanuatu, to skirt the agreement, the sources said.