I thought I would touch base on what appears to be a shortage of frozen Bluey (pacific saury) as most if not all the local tackle shops have sold out and some online bait suppliers have also sold out of the usual packs. A few years ago I wouldn’t have been too worried about having them but I have come to appreciate them as a bait for the Thornback Rays in this area and I am also aware of a number of good Bass that have been caught on them. The added bonus of course was they were relatively cheap considering they are imported and readily available.
I have consulted my good friend Mr Google and it would seem that bluey originate from Japan and that the Autumn 2020 catch was nothing short of disastrous. There is a reference to early autumn 2020 catches being at just 1% of normal and the average size was much smaller. As a result, the price of the fish which is seasonally a mainstay of the Japanese diet increased significantly and presumably there has been limited surplus left over to export to us to use as bait. Its all a bit doom and gloom on the internet with signs that they have been overfished and that changes in the marine environment has affected them (sounds a bit like our Mackerel doesn’t it).
It seems to me that we may not be seeing any new stock arriving until after this autumn’s season if at all and that if any do arrive, we should expect a price. If you are holding a stock of Bluey in your freezer, make the most of them! Or if you get the chance to stock up do so.
If anyone has heard anything official from the supply chain or heard any gossip on the subject I would be most interested to here.
I have consulted my good friend Mr Google and it would seem that bluey originate from Japan and that the Autumn 2020 catch was nothing short of disastrous. There is a reference to early autumn 2020 catches being at just 1% of normal and the average size was much smaller. As a result, the price of the fish which is seasonally a mainstay of the Japanese diet increased significantly and presumably there has been limited surplus left over to export to us to use as bait. Its all a bit doom and gloom on the internet with signs that they have been overfished and that changes in the marine environment has affected them (sounds a bit like our Mackerel doesn’t it).
It seems to me that we may not be seeing any new stock arriving until after this autumn’s season if at all and that if any do arrive, we should expect a price. If you are holding a stock of Bluey in your freezer, make the most of them! Or if you get the chance to stock up do so.
If anyone has heard anything official from the supply chain or heard any gossip on the subject I would be most interested to here.