Toyama Bay Japan Fishing

Himi is a fishing village located in Toyama Bay, in the Sea of Japan, on the island of Honshu. It is a snow covered Bay and it is the beginning of winter. This is the time that the sea gives up its treasures on the Sea of Japan. The fishermen set off at 2am in the morning to set their nets. When the weather is warm , around August, depending on the year, they may catch a good supply of fish. They work fast and raise their nets quickly to get their fish into the auction room as soon as possible. They come early to get a good spot. The larger ships set nets out at sea as well and they have been doing this for generations. They make a comfortable income from fishing and fishermen of toyama bay have a relatively good life.

The snow has melted on the main island of Honsho. The fixed nets date back to the fifteenth century. The largest is spread over hundreds of meters with different openings. The fishermen enjoy a comfortable standard of living. Some families have used the fixed nets for six generations. The young take over the business from their fathers and inherit the wealth, boats, and nets. The yellowtail fish came and made some of the fisherman rich and powerful. The stories of miraculous catches of fish are not myths but true. The yellowtail come and fill the nets at the right times of the year.

The fishermen of Himi do not like the cold and the wet. They go out early and need lots of boats to pull up the big nets. They have to synchronize the winching of the net so that there are no accidents. The fish swim along the net and in toyama bay the water temperature is perfect. Many different species end up in the nets of toyama bay. When the yellowtail arrive, the nets are filled and the seas are bounteous. The fishing season is short and intense - only a few months. They set up a holding pen and sell only a few at at time so as not to flood the market. The fish visit toyama bay before the spawning.

By daybreak the fishermen are back at home and they do quite well out of the sea. Their equipment is durable and lasts a long time. The passing on of knowledge is a must, the son of a fisherman cannot escape his destiny. Sons simply follow in their father's foot steps and often they feel like it is a double edged sword. Now they have underwater video robot craft that film the actions of the nets under water so that they know exactly what is happening. The camera robot shows what is on the floor of the sea.

The young fishermen want to form a group to pool resources and knowledge and to have a buffer against the vagaries of the ocean. When the first yellowtail arrive, the best are sent to the emperor of Japan. Thousands of yellowtail are auctioned and they remain a delicacy. But sometimes prices fall due to an increased supply. The net master counts the earnings while the crew prepare breakfast. They throw some of the fish with rice in a hot pot and boil it up for a healthy meal. The fishermen earn good money and eat like kings. Yellowtail has an aura of success and is traditional at Japanese weddings. A yellowtail is believed to be auspicious and can cost up to 35,000 yen for one fish.

Yellowtail always figures prominently on the new years menu. Winter comes back and the snow storms from Siberia signal a good season for the fishermen. Whatever the weather, the fishermen get up every morning at two in the morning to tend to their fish nets.

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