In Obira Town, which is on the Sea of Japan side of Hokkaido, the harbor is booming with landing, with the heyday of fishing for giant Pacific octopus.
In Obira Town, giant Pacific octopus fishing is carried out throughout the year, except for the closed fishing period, which is set for about a month in the fall.
At this time of the year when spawning has just finished, fishing is at its peak because many giant Pacific octopus stay near the shallow coast.
Fishing is carried out by using the habit of preferring shadows to lure the giant Pacific octopus into a "octopus box" that is submerged in the sea.
At Usuya Fishing Port, six fishing boats are fishing every day, and in the early morning, lively giant Pacific octopus is landed one after another.
Then, after transporting it to a nearby workshop by truck, it was quickly cut, washed with seawater, and ready to be shipped to a processing plant in the town.
According to the local fishermen's cooperative, the amount of landed octopus has recovered compared to last year when it was unfished, and some of them were fat octopus, which was nearly 2 meters long.
Kimio Abe, a fisherman, said, "The taste of Giant Pacific octopus at this time is condensed and very delicious, so I definitely want you to eat it."