In Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, which is known as one of the leading loach producing areas in Japan, loach fry have been handed over to aquaculture farmers for shipment from the end of next month.
Yasugi City, known for its "Dojosukui Dance" and the birthplace of the folk song "Anzai Festival," is one of the leading production areas in Japan where loach is cultivated using fallow fields.
On the 8th, 1,200 of the approximately 15 million fry raised by the Yasugido Production Association to a body length of about 4 cm were handed over to four farmers.
The farmers who receive the fry release them into each aquaculture pond, and they will grow to about 1 centimeters in length in about one and a half months.
According to the Yasugi Dojo Production Association, due to the impact of the new corona's position under the Infectious Diseases Act shifting to Class 5, shipment requests from restaurants have returned to a level close to that before the corona disaster.
Shigeru Yamazaki, an aquaculture farmer, said, "I want the small loach to grow up safely, and I want the small loach to be eaten with karaage and the large loach to be eaten with kabayaki."
This year, they are aiming to produce about 3.5 tons of loach, which will be shipped to Tokyo and Ishikawa prefectures as well as within the prefecture from the end of next month.