The fishing ban for Hanasaki crab was lifted on the 27th in Hamanaka Town in eastern Hokkaido, and the first catch was held on the 28th.
``Hanasaki crab'' is characterized by its shell turning bright red when boiled, resembling a blooming flower, and can only be caught along the Pacific coast of eastern Hokkaido.
The season's fishing season was lifted in Hamanaka Town on the 27th, and on the morning of the 28th, 10 fishing boats returned to Kiritappu Port and made their first catches.
The first day's catch at Kiritappu Port was approximately 440 kg, about half of last year's amount, due to fewer cages being set up due to barges and drifting ice.
The price was around 2,200 yen per kilogram for the well-stocked ones, about 500 yen higher than last year.
Kyosuke Iijima of the Hamanaka Fisheries Cooperative Fresh Fish Department said, ``Today's catch was small, but the size is no different from previous years.''
Hanasaki crab fishing will be gradually lifted on the Pacific side of eastern Hokkaido, and will continue until mid-August this year in Hamanaka Town.