TAIKI, Hokkaido -- The salmon season opened in Hokkaido, with a haul of 6.6 tons -- down from 7 tons last year -- in the first catch of the season at Taiki Port on Monday.
Fishermen have suffered poor salmon catches in recent years, driving up prices in the past couple of years to their highest levels of 1,000 yen per kilogram for female salmon and 500 yen for male salmon in prior bidding.
Five boats from the town's fishery cooperative left the port Monday and returned one after another with salmon caught in set nets off the coast. The temperature in the town hit a low of 9.6 C, and as staff from the cooperative busily sorted the fish into male and female, their breath steamed in the chilly weather.
"It's sad to say, but we couldn't get much this time. We hope we can catch more from now on," the cooperative's executive director said.
The salmon season reaches its peak in late September.
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