With the country's catch of Pacific flying squid continuing to reach record lows, wholesale prices for the seafood have more than doubled for companies that process it into delicacies such as shiokara and what are normally inexpensive dried squid snacks.

Not only has the scarcity in waters around Japan taken a bite out of profits, but the situation has grown dire as prices of foreign squid products have also skyrocketed because of a global slump in squid catches.

For the time being, researchers predict difficulty in securing a recovery in seafood resources and a continued escalation in prices.