Cololabis saira
A highly migratory, oceanic-epipelagic finfish of the temperate North Pacific, Cololabis saira is a short-lived schooling species harvested on the high seas under the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC). Baixian Trade sources sea-frozen Whole Round from Taiwan-origin and mainland-China-origin contract vessels — the two principal distant-water saury operations — graded across one shared ladder from Jumbo to No. 5. Whole round is delivered direct, or routed onward to BXGC-FAC-3 (Fuzhou) for land-frozen value-added processing into Saury Steak, Roll, Skewer, and Roll Skewer.
Taxonomy, distribution,
and stock management.
Taxonomy
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Actinopterygii
- Order
- Beloniformes
- Family
- Scomberesocidae
- Genus
- Cololabis
- Species
- Cololabis saira
Distribution
Oceanic-epipelagic, highly migratory finfish of the temperate and subarctic North Pacific, ranging from the coasts of Japan and Korea east to the Gulf of Alaska and south to Baja California, with the commercial fishery concentrated in the northwest Pacific. A short-lived, fast-growing schooling species that matures within its first year at roughly 24–28 cm and reaches about 40 cm standard length. Baixian Trade's catch comes from Taiwan-origin and mainland-China-origin contract vessels operating in the NW Pacific high seas (NPFC convention area, FAO 61); whole round is graded Jumbo through No. 5, with value-added processing at our Fuzhou facility.
Stock & management
Managed by the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC), which set the first binding Total Allowable Catch for Pacific saury in 2019 and, under an interim harvest control rule adopted in 2024 (CMM 2024-08), ties each year's TAC to a stock assessment with annual change capped at 10%.
For 2026 the TAC was set at 192,375 MT — a 5% cut, rather than the 10% the control rule implied, after members could not agree on the stock assessment. NPFC assessments place biomass below BMSY, but the read is contested: catch has risen sharply where the fish concentrate — Japan's 2025 landings jumped about 67% to ~64,700 MT as the grounds shifted toward its coast — and distant-water members dispute the high-seas reductions. Baixian sets out its own view of the stock through BX-TRADE-CRS.
Seafrozen whole round. Landfrozen value-added.
Cololabis saira reaches our buyers as sea-frozen Whole Round — caught by Taiwan-origin and mainland-China-origin contract vessels in the NW Pacific and graded across one shared ladder, Jumbo to No. 5 — and as land-frozen value-added products processed at BXGC-FAC-3 (Fuzhou). Both origins land the same species on the same grade ladder, so we present a single whole-round specification rather than splitting it by flag. All land-frozen value-added is available EU-treated or non-treated at the buyer's choice, reflected in the unit price.
Taiwan-origin & mainland-China-origin — contract vessels
Sea-frozen Whole Round caught by Taiwan-origin and mainland-China-origin contract vessels working the NW Pacific high seas under the NPFC framework. Saury is taken at night by stick-held dip net (bouke-ami) with light-luring; catch is block-frozen at vessel and packed in cartons. Both origins land the same species across one shared grade ladder — Jumbo through No. 5 by average piece weight — so we present a single whole-round specification rather than two.
The fishery runs June through November, peaking from late summer into autumn. Whole round serves grill and HORECA channels, retail, the canning trade, and downstream value-added processing: larger grades (Jumbo, No. 1) for premium whole-fish presentation, smaller grades (No. 4–5) for processing, canning, and bait/pet lines. Whole round can be delivered direct from origin, or routed onward to BXGC-FAC-3 for land-frozen value-added.
- Origin
- Taiwan-origin & mainland-China-origin contract vessels NW Pacific high seas · NPFC convention area
- Vessel count
- ~30 contract vessels~15 Taiwan-origin + ~15 mainland-China-origin · seasonal 2025–26
- Gear
- Stick-held dip net (bouke-ami) · light-luringsquid jiggers licensed for the saury stick-net fishery
- Processing
- Sea-frozen at vessel; land-frozen value-added at BXGC-FAC-3
- Season
- Jun – NovNPFC convention-area window; peaks late summer–autumn
- Primary form
- Whole Round (SF) — graded Jumbo → No. 5
- Incoterms
- FOB Kaohsiung / FuzhouCFR / CIF / DDP available
Grades below are defined by average piece weight and apply equally to Taiwan-origin and mainland-China-origin catch. Whole round is block-frozen at vessel and packed at non-fixed weight; carton weights are reported as a range to reflect a realistic landing curve rather than a fixed nominal.
| Grade | Specification |
|---|---|
| Jumbo · 150g UP | Non-fixed weight~9–10 kg/cartonBlockSea-frozen at vessel |
| No. 1 · 120–150g | Non-fixed weight~9–10 kg/cartonBlockSea-frozen at vessel |
| No. 2 · 100–120g | Non-fixed weight~9–10 kg/cartonBlockSea-frozen at vessel |
| No. 3 · 80–100g | Non-fixed weight~9–10 kg/cartonBlockSea-frozen at vessel |
| No. 4 · 60–80g | Non-fixed weight~9–10 kg/cartonBlockSea-frozen at vessel |
| No. 5 · 40–60g | Non-fixed weight~9–10 kg/cartonBlockSea-frozen at vessel |
Processed at Fuzhou — BXGC facility
NW Pacific saury whole round landed at BXGC-FAC-3 (Fuzhou Mawei) for land-frozen value-added processing into a focused, foodservice-ready line: Saury Steak (cross-cut portions), Saury Roll, Saury Skewer, and Saury Roll Skewer. All products are IQF and packed to 10 kg/carton as standard.
All BXGC value-added products are available EU-treated or non-treated at the buyer's choice — reflected in the unit price and routing the consignment through the appropriate post-processing line. Net weight and glazing percentage are adjustable, and other specifications are available on request — pack size, glaze, and format are set at the inquiry stage. Value-added ships year-round from buffer inventory at the Fuzhou cold-chain facility.
- Source raw material
- NW Pacific sea-frozen Whole RoundTaiwan-origin & mainland-China-origin
- Processing facility
- BXGC-FAC-3 3500/02246 EU listedFuzhou Mawei · also CN, KR CIQ listed · HACCP-certified
- Process
- Cut · rolled / skewered · graded · IQF re-frozenEU-treated or non-treated at buyer's choice
- Availability
- Year-roundbuffer inventory at Fuzhou cold-chain facility
- Forms
- Saury Steak · Saury Roll · Saury Skewer · Saury Roll Skewer
- Standard pack
- 10 kg/cartonnet weight & glaze adjustable; other specs on request
- Incoterms
- FOB Fuzhou defaultCFR / CIF / DDP available
All value-added products are customisable on packaging, freezing format, net weight, and glazing percentage. Default specifications are shown below; alternative pack sizes, glaze ranges, and additional specs are available on request at the inquiry stage.
| Form | Specification |
|---|---|
| Cross-cut portions | IQF10 kg/cartonNet weight 70–100% adj.Glaze 0–30% adj.Other specs on request |
| Form | Specification |
|---|---|
| Rolled fillet | IQF10 kg/cartonNet weight 70–100% adj.Glaze 0–30% adj.Other specs on request |
| Form | Specification |
|---|---|
| Whole fish, skewered | IQF10 kg/cartonNet weight 70–100% adj.Glaze 0–30% adj.Other specs on request |
| Form | Specification |
|---|---|
| Rolled pieces, skewered | IQF10 kg/cartonNet weight 70–100% adj.Glaze 0–30% adj.Other specs on request |
A tightening quota over a contested stock.
Pacific saury is a short-lived, fast-growing forage fish managed on the high seas by the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC). The headline quota is tightening, but the underlying stock picture is genuinely contested among the members — and in recent seasons the fish have moved rather than simply disappeared. Baixian sources from the two principal distant-water saury fleets, Taiwan-origin and mainland-China-origin, both working the NW Pacific convention area.
Where the quota and the catch diverge
Saury is managed under a binding NPFC TAC (first set in 2019) and an interim harvest control rule. For 2026, members agreed only a 5% cut, to 192,375 MT — not the 10% the rule would have triggered — after they could not agree on the stock assessment; a 10% reduction is scheduled for 2027. Japan, citing the high-seas yields of the distant-water fleets, has pressed for deeper cuts; China and other distant-water members have resisted.
NPFC assessments hold biomass below BMSY, but availability has shifted rather than simply collapsed. In 2025 the schools moved west toward the Japanese coast — a weakening Kuroshio meander and a stronger Oyashio current — and Japan's landings rose about 67% to ~64,700 MT, overtaking both Taiwan and mainland China for the first time in 13 years. Because the TAC splits into a shared high-seas portion and a separate 81,000 MT allocation inside the Japanese and Russian EEZs, coastal states can fish their own waters while the distant-water fleets absorb the high-seas reductions. Baixian publishes its own read on the stock and the season through BX-TRADE-CRS.
The two principal saury fleets we source
NW Pacific · NPFC| Origin fleet | BX vessels | Operating area & gear | 2025 standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taiwan-origin | ~15 vesselsBX contract network | NW Pacific high seas northeast of Hokkaido and along the Kuril front, June–November; stick-held dip net (bouke-ami) with light-luring. Taiwan's national distant-water saury fleet runs roughly 68–91 vessels. | Long the largest distant-water saury fleet2025 season closed early under tighter NPFC high-seas limits; Japan overtook both Taiwan and mainland China |
| Mainland China-origin | ~15 vesselsBX contract network | Same NW Pacific high-seas grounds; China's high-seas saury fishery developed from 2012, also using stick-held dip nets. Catch is largely transshipped at sea. | High-seas catch constrained by the cutChina opposed the steeper 10% reduction proposed for 2026 at the NPFC meeting |
Approvals by destination market.
Compliance officers verify approvals against the originating plant. The matrix below lists active destination-market approvals for Cololabis saira across our processing facilities. Document framework references on the right.
| Destination market | Approval status | Plant references | Key documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| European UnionEU-27 | Listed; active | BXTW-FAC-17FH0043
BXTW-FAC-27WH0001
BXGC-FAC-33500/02246
|
HCIUU CC |
| South KoreaMFDS | Listed; active | BXGC-FAC-3KR-listed
|
HCChina–Korea FTA CO |
| Japanexport-eligible | Export-eligible | BXTW-FAC-1export-eligible
BXGC-FAC-3export-eligible
|
HC |
| Mainland ChinaGACC | Listed; active | BXTW-FAC-1GACC-listed
|
GACC required documents |
| USA · CanadaFDA · CFIA | Listed; active | BXTW-FAC-1FDA-listed
BXGC-FAC-3FDA-listed
|
HCCOCOA |
| Russia · EAEURosselkhoznadzor | Listed; active | BXGC-FAC-3Russia-listed
|
VC |
| ASEAN10 member states | Listed; active | BXTW-FAC-1ASEAN-eligible
BXGC-FAC-3ASEAN-eligible
|
HCForm E CO |
| Latin Americaper-country | Per-country basis | See market-specific page |
Per-country HC |
Active certifications and listings.
Month-by-month availability.
Saury whole round is caught June through November across the NW Pacific convention area by Taiwan-origin and mainland-China-origin contract vessels, peaking from late summer into autumn; there is no winter fishery. Land-frozen value-added (BXGC-FAC-3) ships year-round from buffer inventory.
- Whole-round catch is concentrated June–November across the NW Pacific convention area, peaking late summer into autumn; there is no winter fishery.
- Taiwan-origin and mainland-China-origin contract vessels work the same seasonal window on the same shared grade ladder (Jumbo – No. 5).
- Land-frozen value-added (Saury Steak, Roll, Skewer, Roll Skewer) ships year-round from buffer inventory at BXGC-FAC-3; buyers can specify in-season whole-round origin at the inquiry stage.
Recent Cololabis saira research.
Source Cololabis saira
from Baixian Trade.
Whether you are sourcing whole round for grill, retail, or canning, or value-added saury for foodservice — our analysts respond in your language and quote within 48 hours. Specify form (whole round Jumbo – No. 5, or a value-added line), origin preference (Taiwan-origin or mainland-China-origin), and destination port — we'll come back with current pricing and lead time.