SHIGA, Jun 06 (News On Japan) –
The catch of ayu, a fish lengthy thought-about a delicacy and regional staple of Lake Biwa, has fallen to a file low, prompting native fisheries to name on the Shiga prefectural authorities for pressing motion.
The annual peak season for ayu fishing usually begins in December with the opening of the “yana” fishing technique. Nonetheless, this yr has introduced an alarming decline.
“Ayu are few and much between. That is the worst it’s ever been,” stated Kimura Tsuneo, a director on the Kitafunaki Fisheries Cooperative. “We used to catch about 500 kilograms a day with a single lure. Now we’re getting simply 10 to twenty kilograms at greatest.”
In one other conventional technique referred to as “eri” fishing, which makes use of mounted web buildings to funnel fish, the outcomes have been equally dismal.
“They’re utterly gone,” stated Teruyo, the spouse of fisherman Mitamura Susumu.
“You’ll be able to’t even sense they’re there anymore,” added Mitamura.
Requested the way it regarded throughout plentiful years, Mitamura stated, “The nets could be thrashing with fish leaping in all places.”
“Now, catching even one kilogram is a battle. With gasoline prices, it’s barely price going out.”
Ayu have traditionally accounted for 40 to 50 p.c of the full fish catch in Lake Biwa, forming the spine of Shiga’s fishing trade. However over the previous decade, numbers have steadily declined. This yr’s catch has dropped to only 17.6 tons—the bottom on file—threatening not simply livelihoods but additionally native meals traditions.
“Our cauldrons are normally boiling with ayu and wakasagi,” stated Tamura Aiko, president of Tamura Freshwater. “However this yr, there’s been no ayu since January. We haven’t cooked a single batch.”
One conventional dish particularly affected is tsukudani, simmered lake fish in soy sauce and sugar, generally made with younger ayu. Manufacturing has come to a halt because of the lack of uncooked elements.
In response to Shiga Prefecture’s fisheries division, the first reason behind the poor harvest is final yr’s excessive warmth, which raised lake water temperatures and prevented them from cooling to appropriate spawning ranges in autumn. Moreover, a scarcity of plankton meant that many larvae couldn’t develop after hatching.
In response, native fishery teams and trade stakeholders submitted a proper request for countermeasures to Governor Mikazuki this week, together with the discharge of grownup ayu.
“We’re contemplating how you can successfully make the most of synthetic rivers and conduct focused fish releases,” stated Governor Mikazuki Taizo.
The prefecture can be planning to broaden spawning grounds in cooler rivers and time the discharge of hatchlings to align with falling water temperatures.
“The local weather is the largest issue,” stated Kimura. “It actually appears like Lake Biwa is changing into an more and more inhospitable place for fish.”
Supply: YOMIURI
