Correspondence
The Outlaw Ocean Project emailed a contact address for Tsuruhachi but the message was blocked. The same query was then submitted to Tsuruhachi via the company's online contact system.
The message said: "We’re contacting you in light of our research on the practice of ‘flagging in’, whereby fishing vessels owned by companies in one country are flagged to another country in order to access that second country’s waters. We are not indicating explicitly or implicitly that flagging-in is illegal, we are just taking a look at the issue of flagging-in globally.
Trade data indicates that Tsuruhachi Co. Ltd. in Japan was the consignee for shipments of seafood from the Argentine company Ardapez in 2022. Records indicate that Ardapez runs at least two Argentine-flagged vessels which fish within Argentinian waters, and that these vessels are beneficially owned by the Chinese company, Dalian Huafeng Aquatic Products.
While we understand that you might not be aware of the above, does Tsuruhachi Co. Ltd. have any comment in response to this email? If so, please let us know by close of business on July 19, 2024, noting that all interactions remain on record."