HAKODATE, Hokkaido -- Japanese flying squid are taking over the so-called city of squid, landing in this port in southern Hokkaido from early Wednesday morning.
With the fishing season open from Tuesday, the initial haul of squid caught that night through the wee hours of Wednesday morning totaled about 1,700 kilograms, about 300 kilograms more than the first catch last year.
The average squid caught by the 15 fishing vessels that set sail from Hakodate had bodies about 12 centimeters long, relatively smaller than last year.
About 860 kilograms of the Japanese flying squid were of a high quality to be eaten as sashimi. At auction, the highest bid for these squid for sashimi was about 1,650 yen per kilogram, about 550 yen lower than last year, when the pandemic also affected restaurants and other businesses that impact the fisheries industry. In 2019, the highest price was about 5,200 yen per kilogram, and the record high was set in 2016 at about 15,000 yen.
"We can't do anything about the low prices due to the pandemic," said Nobutaka Hiramatsu of the Hakodate fish market. "At least we had large catches, so that's a relief."
The season ends in January 2022.
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