Nature One-day eel fishing season ends at record prices

The juvenile ikanago sand eel fishing season in west Japan's Seto Inland Sea commenced on 11 March, marking the arrival of spring. However, due to a poor catch, it concluded on the same day. This year, the season began seven days later than the previous year. In the Harima-nada Sea, which is part of the Seto Inland Sea near Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, juvenile sand eel (いかなご, also known a lesser sand lance) catches have been consistently low in recent times. The prefectural government and those involved in fisheries collectively decided to end the fishing season on the same day. Remarkably, this is the first instance since 1970, the earliest available records, that the season has concluded within a single day.

The season began seven days later than last year. Juvenile sand eel catches in the Harima-nada Sea, part of the Seto Inland Sea off Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, have been poor in recent years. According to the prefectural government, people involved in fisheries agreed to end this season's fishing on the same day. This is the first time since 1970, the date of the earliest available records, that the season has ended in one day. At Hayashizaki Fishing Port in Akashi, fishery workers began landing their catches shortly after 10:30 a.m. The ikanago fetched about 170,000 yen (roughly $1,100) per basket at auction, weighing about 25 kilograms. The price, reflecting the poor overall catch, was a record high for the season's first auction.

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In West Japan's Kansai region, salty-sweet "kugini," ikanago fish cooked with soy sauce, sugar, and mirin rice wine, is popular. The name comes from the appearance of the finished fish, which looks like bent old nails, as "kugini" literally means "boiled nails."