A clue to reproduction seen in scallops February 26 17:11
A series that tells about the fishing industry in Hokkaido, which is facing an unprecedented crisis. The second time is scallops. Scallops are popular for both butter and sashimi, and in fact, they continue to perform well in the booming Hokkaido fishing industry. Scallops are by far the largest landed seafood among Hokkaido's marine products, and the center of production is the Sea of Okhotsk. Why is Okhotsk scallop so stable? There was a hint of the revival of the fishing industry in Hokkaido. (Nami Igarashi, reporter at Kitami Broadcasting Station)
Continues strong! Okhotsk Scallop
The landing volume of scallops in Hokkaido was 380,000 tons last year. Despite a slight increase or decrease, we maintain a stable level every year. Among them, the most common landing is the Okhotsk Sea coast. One of the characteristics of the Sea of Okhotsk is that after raising young mussels (children's shells), the young mussels are cultivated in the sea by raising them in the sea. Akira Akaike, Chief of the Research Department of the Abashiri Fisheries Experimental Station, said, "There is no other fishery that is managed by humans and is catching fish."
Shift from overfishing to growing fisheries
The seemingly successful scallops of the Sea of Okhotsk once faced a crisis. Scallop fishing in the Sea of Okhotsk began in the Meiji era. At that time, it was repeated that all the natural scallops that were abundant were exhausted and fishing was banned and waited for recovery. As a result, resources have been reduced. That is why the fishing cooperatives along the Sea of Okhotsk found their way to this "ground fire", which has been practiced since the 1970s.
Determining the “just the right amount of juveniles”
The most thorough production methods are the three fishing cooperatives on Lake Saroma: Tokoro, Saroma and Yubetsu. The aim was to "permanently" continue scallop fishing. The first thing I did to do this was to control the amount of juveniles we raised. In Lake Saroma, where juveniles are raised, fishermen's cooperatives estimate the amount of food in the lake, determine the appropriate level every 10 years, and decide how much to grow in the lake. This is a point gained from the bitter experience of larvae dying due to excessive growth.
“Strict rules” for scallops
In addition, we take great care when releasing them into the sea. The Tokoro Fisheries Cooperative strictly determines the number of scallops per square meter of fishing ground at 7.16, up to the second decimal place. It is a number obtained by thoroughly examining the environment of the fishing ground and finding the optimal number for the scallop to grow freely. As a result of these efforts, Okhotsk scallop, known for its thickness, was born.
Chiharu Yamazaki of Tokoro Fisheries Cooperative said, “We have decided on rules so as not to be too overcrowded. From scallop seedling to production, all members have been united as a result of the I think there is a landing of scallops. "
Prevent overfishing with "joint management"
There are also management ideas. That is the "joint management" of scallop fishing adopted by fishery cooperatives. Of these, the Tokoro Fisheries Cooperative has a landed value of over 9 billion yen in some years, but profits less costs are distributed fairly to more than 140 members. This allows you to avoid competition that could lead to overfishing. In addition, scallop fishermen are responsible for raising, releasing, and landing fish. The great advantage of joint management is that the division of labor can be promoted. As a result, productivity has been increased.
Counselor Yamazaki: "Every year, we collect the right amount in a planned manner. Everyone has no consciousness to land a different fishing ground. It is really wonderful to operate a union because there is no income gap. "
Management ingenuity in other fisheries
Okhotsk scallop fishing that achieves sustainable and stable operation by "strict rules" and "joint management". Of course, this kind of fishing is partly due to the rich environment of the rich Okhotsk sea. However, if we hadn't escaped from the idea of “I want to be good now”, which was often apt to fall into fisheries, we wouldn't have been able to create the current system. When I interviewed, there were words that left a strong impression among the people involved.
"Everybody considers scallops a treasure."
Now that the fishing industry in Hokkaido is facing a crisis, not only fishermen, but also those who enjoy delicious marine products, it is necessary to reflect on those words and think about the current situation of the fishing industry. I felt there was.
Kitami Broadcasting Station Reporter
Natsuki Igarashi Entered in 2017
After working at the Iwamizawa bureau, he was mainly in charge of agriculture, forestry and fisheries