The Nemuro Peninsula in Hokkaido forms the easternmost tip of Japan. There, the “hanasakigani” blue king crab fishing season is now at its peak, accompanied by the raucous chorus of flocks of seabirds.
These crabs inhabit the peninsula’s Pacific Ocean side, but rarely on the Sea of Okhotsk side.
According to Ryoji Kudo, 50, of the Nemuro City Fisheries Research Institute, the largest haul of the crabs of about 450 tons was recorded back in 1993. But after years of poor catches, the volume has since shrunk to only about one-fifth of the peak.
The city is now switching fast from catching to cultivating the species.
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