In Mashike Town on the Sea of Japan side of Hokkaido, fishing for herring, the fish that heralds the arrival of spring, is underway, and the port is lively.
Herring is also called the ``spring fish,'' and in Mashike Town, Hokkaido, the fishing ban was lifted on the 15th of last month, but fishing has been in full swing this month.
Twenty fishing boats were fishing in the town every day, and when the boats left the port before dawn on the 15th, they returned to the port to find fishermen unloading silver herring one after another.
The landed herring was immediately transported to a nearby workshop and sorted into males and females.
According to the local fishing cooperative, approximately 175 tons of herring were landed in Mashike last year.
This year, nearly 60 tons of fish were landed in about a month up until the day before yesterday, and on the 11th of this month, ``swarms'', where the sea becomes cloudy white after schools of herring spawn, were observed more than two months earlier than last year. Fishermen are expecting a bountiful catch.
Fisherman Kazuryo Hayashi said, ``I'm very happy that herring have returned to the sea over the past few years.I think that our efforts to release young fish in cooperation with related organizations are paying off.Herring is a delicious spring treat. I want you to try it," he said.
Herring fishing in Mashike Town continues until mid-April.