insights from frontier Japan

In the Minamikayabe district of Hakodate, thinning work is in full swing for ma-kombu kelp force-cultivated to grow in one year. The sight of fishermen leaning out over the top of their boats and thinning out the kelp by hand is a seasonal tradition heralding the arrival of spring in this major production area of deluxe-class kelp.

Fixed-net cherry-salmon fishing is in full swing off the coast of Esashi in the Hiyama region of southern Hokkaido. On April 7, five fishing boats set out early in the morning, returning to land a steady stream of live cherry salmon at Esashi Port.

The spring clam-fishing season in Notsuke Bay in the town of Betsukai in the Nemuro region of eastern Hokkaido began on March 30, and 1.2 tons of large, black clams were landed during the first catch. The clam fishing began in the ‘development zone’ of the artificial tidal flats. From April 2, the fishermen also operated in the natural fishing grounds.

From March 1, Roadside Station "Swan 44 Nemuro" (Rakuyo, Nemuro) is offering the month-long special "Crab fried rice with ankake sauce" (1,000 yen) in their in-house restaurant "Bird Pal".

A seasonal dish of ‘rice topped with Matsumae Hokkai shrimps’ is being offered for a limited period until early April at the Umikaze Shokudo restaurant within Kitamaebune Matsumae, a roadside rest area in the town of Matsumae in southern Hokkaido.

This fiscal year's project to promote scallops cultivated off the coast of Shukutsu in the city of Otaru, under the ‘Otate’ brand name, is progressing steadily. The project is being implemented by an executive committee comprising 17 industry, academia and government organizations in the city, including the City of Otaru, fishery organizations, and Otaru University of Commerce. In January, the committee organized a tour for participants to sample scallop dishes inside a kamakura (Japanese-style igloo). The committee is also working on a PR strategy for the new fiscal year, and efforts to raise awareness of hidden gems are gaining momentum in a bid to revitalize the local economy, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scallop fishing began on November 24 at ‘new fishing grounds’ created in Nemuro Bay in eastern Hokkaido, in response to the 2016 ban on the drift-net fishing of salmon and trout within 200 nautical miles of Russia. Three vessels belonging to the Nemuro and Habomai fisheries cooperatives initially landed a total of 13.5 tons.

At Eastern Hokkaido's Lake Saroma, the harvest season for the short-spined sea urchin is in full swing. Harvesting is being conducted robustly, using a method of collecting sea urchins from the lake floor by pulling nets fitted with iron claws. Lake Saroma sea urchin harvesting is being conducted by the three fishery cooperatives of Yubetsu, Tokoro, and Saroma. This year, it started on April 12.

　The fresh fish department in the basement of the Fujimaru department store in the city of Obihiro reopened after refurbishment on April 1, with a sales counter directly managed by the Obihiro Regional Wholesale Market opening there. The procurement power of the market has been put to good use, with a wide selection of fresh fish from Hokkaido and beyond, and a commemorative bluefin tuna filleting display held at the opening.