The Sydney Morning Herald brings us this shocking tale of Japanese crimes against the Ocean:

Japan has stolen $2 billion worth of southern bluefin tuna over the past 20 years, potentially killing off the stock, Australia’s top fisheries manager says.

An investigation into the fishery found Japanese fishers and suppliers from other countries caught up to three times the Japanese quota each year for the past 20 years and hid it, The Sydney Morning Herald reports on Saturday.

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority’s managing director, Richard McLoughlin, said it was an enormous international fraud.

“Essentially the Japanese have stolen $2 billion worth of fish from the international community, and have been sitting in meetings for 15 years saying they are as pure as the driven snow. And it’s outrageous,” Mr McLoughlin said at an Australian National University seminar.

Shocking. You better go enjoy as much 105 yen kaiten-zushi tuna as you can! Time is running out, so gorge yourself!

Update: A news source in New Zealand seems to think that the Aussies are just as bad:

Japan has allegedly been over-fishing its bluefin tuna quota for the last 20 years. Australian officials say Japan has overfished its quota to the tune of more than $2 billion.

Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton says new monitoring systems are working well, and that is how the issue has come to a head. But he says that it is not just Japan. Despite blowing the whistle on Japan, Mr Anderton says Australia has also been caught catching more bluefin tuna than it is allowed to.

Mr Anderton says now those countries know they have been caught, they must make sure the overfishing stops now. He says he will be pushing hard for the offending countries’ quotas to be lowered as punishment.