Japan's catch of Pacific saury plunged to a record low last year, as there were fewer fish in the country's coastal waters.

The fish is a mainstay in the Japanese diet in autumn.

An industry group says 40,517 tons of Pacific saury was landed at ports across Japan during the main fishing season from August to December.

That's down 66 percent from the previous year. It's also far below the previous record low of 52,000 tons in 1969.

But catches have been poor since 2015, coming in at only around 100,000 tons as stocks have declined.

Officials say alarmingly few saury came into Japan's coastal waters last year.

The average wholesale price has shot up to about 30 dollars for 10 kilograms as a result. That is 68 percent higher than a year ago.