A regional commission for ocean resources management has drawn up a proposal calling for a cut of up to 50 percent in the bigeye tuna catch in the central and western Pacific Ocean due to overfishing, sources said Saturday.

The proposal by the scientific panel of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission is likely to have a major impact on domestic fishermen and consumers as Japan is the largest catcher of the fish, which is used for sashimi.

The panel is calling for approval of catch quotas at an annual meeting of the commission on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti in December.

According to the Fisheries Agency, the total catch of bigeye tuna in the central and western Pacific amounted to 143,000 tons in 2007, compared with 20,000 tons in 1950.

In 2007, Japan's share of the annual catch was the largest in the world at some 30,000 tons, though it was down from its peak of over 50,000 tons.

The panel argues in the report that the average annual catch of bigeye tuna needs to be lowered by 34 percent to 50 percent from the 2007 level to maintain proper levels of the fish.

The commission agreed on a 30 percent cut in the bigeye catch over three years at an annual gathering last year, but concluded that the accord alone would be insufficient, given how the targets are implemented by each country, the sources said.

The December meeting will likely discuss possible cuts in catches using the longline fishing method, adopted by Japan, as well as roll net fishing, mainly used by developing countries, such as Indonesia, the sources added.

As for bluefin tuna, calls are growing for a total ban on international trade in the fish.