Fisheries Promotion Group, Higashidoori Village

Last IssueFISHERIES NEWSThe Seaside Flavor of Higashidoori

April-June 2018
Funori Seaweed inShiriya
People in Shiriya harvested
Funori seaweed on sunnydays during spring tide.

Bottom Set Net“Sokodate-ami”, bottom set
net fishing off the coast ofSarugamori. What kind offish was caught?

Akamoku seaweed“Akamoku” seaweed slowly
comes into the Spotlight inShimokita. What does thisseaweed taste like?

Column 1 “Fisheriesin Setouchi region”
The author travelled
Setouchi region andlearned about fisheries
there.

Column 2 “Fisheriesin China”

Funori Seaweed Harvest in Shiriya

The author went to see locals in Shiriya harvesting and drying “Funori”
seaweed on May 15th, the fresh air and green trees were beautiful. The
Funori seaweed of Shiriya is mainly marketed as an ingredient of “Hegisoba” buckwheat noodle, and harvested on the sunny and warm daysaround a spring tide from the end of April to the beginning of June. The
weather must be sunny because the seaweed is dried under the sun
immediately after the harvest. A parasitic Rhodophyta seaweed, “Funorino-ushige” has been observed, and the opening of the Funori harvest
has been delayed the last 2 years due to the timing of disappearance ofthe parasitic seaweed. Although the harvest has also delayed this year,
the author could see the harvesting of the seaweed. The sight of locals
in Shiriya harvesting Funori seaweed and packing it into colorful bags on
the seashore, is a grand spectacle. It is the iconic scenery of Spring in
Higashidori. The seaweed was washed in a tank, and snails, otherseaweeds and sand were removed. The washed seaweed was brought tothe backyards of each fisherman and dried under the sun for about 2hours. The color of the seaweed turned from red to blackish brown as it
was dried. The blackish brown seaweed turns into blight green when it issoaked in hot water. The seaweed harvested in Shiriya is long and thick,and the texture of the newly dried one is crispy. Therefore the author
rather recommends it as salad instead of its miso-soup. The Funori
harvest is very hard work. The author thanks locals in Shiriya for
harvesting such an delicious seaweed for us.

The author visited Fujian,China during his holidays,
and observed the fisheries
in this big country.

1Fisheries Promotion Group, Higashidoori Village

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Bottom Set Net off the Coast of Sarugamori
The author went to see “Sokodate-ami” fishing off the Coast of Sarugamori on
April 20th. The ocean was very calm without waves, and the surface was like amirror. “Sokodate-ami” is the type of set net targetting bottom dwelling fishes.
The net is set just above the sea floor. From the fishing boat, we cannot tell
how the net is set in the ocean. Two buoys floating on the water are the sign
which tells the location of the net. The net appeared on the surface as the rope
from the buoys was retrieved. The net was lifted on the boat and slid toward
the cod end. We caught a cod, anglerfish, flatfishes, rockfishes and Pacificoctopus. Fishes like “Usumebaru” gold-eye rockfish floated on the surface
because an air bladder was inflated by a sudden change in water pressure. Agold-eye rockfish was caught in the net which set offshore. The net which set
inshore caught various flatfishes. It was interesting that there was a variation in
the fishes between locations of nets. After taking pictures of the fish, theauthor helped with landing the net, learned the ropes and sorted fishes caught
from the nets. It was fun to work on the boat and see many deep sea fishes.
The spear squid and shellfish which the author tasted on the boat were very
delicious. The author read an atlas of fishing gears and methods in Japan andreviewed the “Sokodate-ami” fishing.

“Akamoku” ~Seaweed in Spotlight~“Akamoku” seaweed is locally called “Gibasa” and has been eaten in Akita
Prefecture. Contrarily this seaweed has been regarded as a troublesome
seaweed in Shimokita region, Aomori because it becomes tangled in the screw
propellers. The mass media introduced this seaweed as a healthy foodbecause of its stickiness, which comes from fucoidan, which is good forhealth. This seaweed recently appeared at local supermarkets in Mutsu city. It
seems that this seaweed has come into the spotlight in Shimokita region. Asit happens, one day in April at Iwaya, the author found a spot where“Akamoku” seaweed grows. He introduced this seaweed to Iwaya
Fisherwomen’s Group, and they said it was tasty and they wanted to sell
experimentally. We sold “Akamoku” seaweed at a local market. Customers
tasted the sample and said it was tasty. However, the customer’s eyes wereon fresh fishes and the sale did not do well. Some customers showed aninterest in this seaweed and bought some packs. We sold 16 packs of“Akamoku” seaweed. Higashidori Village is very rich with delicious seaweeds
such as Kelp, Iwanori, Funori and Matsumo which grow in the cold North
Pacific ocean. Nowadays the marine environment is changing dramatically as astock of a common squid is rapidly decreasing. This dramatic change in ocean
environment may affect the seaweeds in Higashidori, and it may be possiblethat the abundance of the seaweeds decreases. “Akamoku” seaweed also
inhabits warm water region like Southern Japan. This time “Akamoku”
seaweed did not grab much interest from the people in Shimokita region.
However the author believes that this seaweed will come into the spotlight when the abundance of seaweeds in acold water region decreases from environmental changes in the ocean.

Boiled and chopped “Akamoku”
which is sticky and crunchy. 。

2Fisheries Promotion Group, Higashidoori Village

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Column 1 “Fisheries in Kochi, Okayama and Hyogo”
At the end of March when cherry trees were in full bloom, theauthor visited Sukumo in Kochi, Bizen in Okayama, and Himeji in
Hyogo to see a fish market, fishing port and fisherman’s market. InSukumo, many fish such as yellow tail, spring mackerel and sea
bream, that are landed at small fishing ports, were all gathered atSukumo Bay Central Fish Market which was built by Sukumo Bay
Fisheries Cooperative Society. From a mountain the author could see
many fish farming cages of tuna, yellow tail and sea bream, andfishes were jumping with a splash and swarming around feedingmachine in calm Sukumo Bay. Sea gulls were flying above the cageand looking for a chance to get some feed. There used to be many
fisheries cooperative societies around Sukumo Bay, but all
cooperatives societies had been in the red due to decreases incatches of wild fish and the price of farmed fishes. Sukumo BayFisheries Cooperative Society was born by uniting all small
cooperative societies. The united cooperative society overcame thetough times. The fish price and fisherman’s income increased
significantly by gathering fishes at the central market, and thecooperative society into black. This cooperative society is theexpected model of future fisheries cooperative societies in Japan.
After the author left Sukumo, he visited a local fisherman’s market“Gomi-no-ichi” in Hinase, Bizen City, Okayama. Unfortunately ashellfish poison was detected around Hinase, and there were not anyfish at the market. However the author saw many oyster spat collectors made with scallop shells and bamboos foroyster raft at the fishing port, and he learned many things by watching these oyster farming materials. Next day
the author visited a fisherman’s market “Himeji Tore-Tore Ichiba” located at Mega fishing port in Himeji, Hyogo.
Himeji’s brand fishes, such as “Boze Saba” which is a farmed mackerel, “Shirasagi Salmon” which is a farmedtrout, and “Boze Gani” which is a swimming crab caught in Himeji, were sold alive. If you buy a live fish at themarket, a staff member processes live fishes with “Katsu-zime” and “Shinkei-zime” which keep its freshness. The
author tried to ship the brand mackerel to Aomori, however, his idea was rejected because Aomori was too far
away to eat it as Sashimi. The brand mackerel and salmon processed with “Katsu-zime” and “Shinkei-zime” areprovided to a restaurant next to the market in its most fresh condition. A farmed mackerel “Boze Saba” was richin fat and its texture was very nice. It was the best mackerel the author ever had. A brand farmed salmon“Shirasagi Salmon” and swimming crab “Boze Gani” were also delicious. The author’s friend lives in Hyogo tasted
the fishes and she said that it was very delicious. Since the restaurant is located near the world heritage site
“Himeji Castle”, many locals and tourists come to have the tasty fishes at the lunch time. The author was
satisfied with the fishes and went for a walk around the fishing port. The author met a local fisherman who wasfixing his cage traps and he offered to show me his traps in the ocean. We went to see his traps along the shore
strengthened with tetrapods. There were sea cucumbers and rockfishes inside the traps. The shape and size ofthe trap was different from the one in Aomori. It was very interesting to see fisheries in Setouchi region. The
author learned many things during this trip from Sukumo to Himeji.

3Fisheries Promotion Group, Higashidoori Village

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Column 2 “The World Biggest Fishery Country, China”
The author visited Fuqing, Fuzhou and Ningde in Fujian, China during hisholidays to see my friend who has spent time with in Kiunga, Papua NewGuinea. When he met him in Osaka last March, the author asked my friend
if he wanted to see the fisheries industry in China which is the biggest
fishery country in the world. My friend made arrangements for the study
tour, and the author could see many aquaculture fields of sea bass,oyster, manila clam, razor clam and prawn in Fujian. The coast of Fujian
has many inlets which are suitable for aquaculture, and people utilized theland and ocean very efficiently.There were so many sea bass culture
cages and oyster rafts on the ocean, and dug out ponds for clams andprawns in the wetland. The author was overwhelmed by the landscape of
the world biggest aquaculture producer. The sea bass and prawn are exported alive and processed in Korea, andmarketed around the world. Some of the products may be exported to Japan. A oyster spat is collected on asmall tile, and the tile is tied to a rope and cultured. The size of the oyster was small although it is cultured in afertile river mouth. The oyster seed in Ningde has been distributed all around China. The sea bass fingerlings areproduced at a hatchery in China, and it is cultured in a cage for 2 years. The manila clam, razor clam and prawn
are cultured in a dug out pond in a brackish wetland area. Clams are fed a natural feed such as a phytoplankton
which are proliferated by adding a fertilizer into a pond. The prawn is fed a commercial feed and natural feed in apond. Clams and prawns are harvested by draining water in a pond when the time comes. An integrated
aquaculture of clams and prawns is also practiced there. Some prawns are cultured in a greenhouse to grow bigger
and faster under a warm environment.

After the author visited the aquaculture sites, he also visited afishing port, market and supermarket to see how fisheries products arelanded and marketed. At a fishing port, many old fishing boats wereanchored, and there were some buildings for brokers and buyers. However
there was no fish in the buildings, and it was very quiet. Since thetransportation and delivery service has developed rapidly in the past few
years, it seemed that fishes are distributed to local markets andsupermarkets immediately after landing. Local women were cracking oysters,
and selling live fishes such as rockfishes, crabs, clams and horseshoe crab.
The local market was not as clean as Japan, however, it was very interesting to see many fishes around Fuqing
and Fuzhou. At supermarkets like Walmart, fish tanks were well equipped and live fishes such as a crayfish, carp,
sea bass, octopus, abalone and flounder were stocked. Marine fishes were lined up on an ice. Most people would
rather go to clean supermarkets than local markets recently. Chinese food culture which values live fish is verystrong, therefore fish tanks are well equipped in supermarkets and restaurants even if they are small. It was as if
like an aquarium. At a restaurant, we catch a fish with a net, and tell the waiter how we want it cooked. Foodculture around freshwater fishes has significantly developed, and freshwater fishes such as grass carp and crayfish,
which is avoided by Japanese because of muddy smell, were cooked very nicely and deliciously. Spicy crayfish
cooking, which is the author’s favorite food he never forgets, is very popular nowadays. Thus the aquaculture
production of crayfish has increased recently, and it has been sold at supermarkets around China. The author
experienced the Chinese culture which utilizes edible aquatic organisms efficiently, and he thought that this culture
gives us many ideas that can help with the problem of fisheries stocks in Japan rapidly decreasing.

4Fisheries Promotion Group, Higashidoori Village

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Column 2 (continue)
Although a “Katsu-zime” and “Shinkei-zime” freshness keeping techniques were not carried out in China at thistime of visit, the author felt that these techniques will spread over China in the near future because Chinese
people are very enthusiastic about learning, mastering and applying new techniques and ideas for their business.
During the 8 days trip, the author learned many things about China as the biggest fishery country in the world.
What the author saw, knew, and experienced in this vibrant fishing country became an invaluable memory for hislife. The author obtained many ideas. Although fisheries industries in Japan are experiencing difficulties due tostock depletion, the technologies and techniques of food processing and freshness keeping such as “Katsu-zime”
and “Shinkei-zime” which has evolved in Japan are the keys to overcome the difficulties. The author thinks that
the Japanese fishery industry will be more famous among the world if we evolve these unique and identicaltechnologies and techniques combining with ideas from other countries. The author is very thankful to my friends
in China for providing him an invaluable experience.

July 1st 2018
Dear Readers of Fisheries News,The author is very sorry to announce that this is the last issue of“Fisheries News”. The Facebook page “Fishes of Higashidori” also
won’t be updated, however, the author will keep it as theinformation page for whom interested in Higashidori Village. He
decided to make a career move to achieve his lifetime goal. He isvery grateful to everyone for reading the articles. He hopes
somebody else publishes more interesting Fisheries News in thefuture. Thank you very much. From the country of the picture.
Many thanks,The author5