Calls grow in Akita to ban sandfish fishing amid warming seas

Hatahata has long been a key part of Akita's culinary culture. Besides being grilled or stewed, the fish is used in local specialties such as 'shottsuru nabe,' a hot pot made with shottsuru fish sauce produced from hatahata.

Up until the mid-1970s, annual hatahata catches in Akita exceeded 10,000 tons. They then declined sharply.

The fish population showed signs of recovery after fishery operators imposed a three-year fishing ban from 1992.

The catch then declined again around 2010, with hatahata landings for the fishing season from last autumn to June this year coming to a record low of about 6 tons.

"There are some doubts about whether a fishing ban would have an immediate effect, given that the ongoing poor catches, unlike past cases of overfishing, are due to changes in the marine environment, including rising water temperatures in the Sea of Japan, which are hindering stock reproduction," an official at the prefecture's fisheries promotion center said.

Some fishery operators have voiced reluctance about a fishing ban, fearing that such a move could prevent them from catching other fish and shellfish.

Among the various methods used to catch hatahata in Akita, offshore bottom trawling allows operators to catch snow crab, cod, flounder and other marine species in addition to hatahata.

"Akita is all about hatahata," an official of the prefecture's fisheries wholesale and processing industry said.

"At this rate, the fish could face extinction." the official said, adding, "We hope the prefecture's fishing industry will come together to impose a fishing ban and seek cooperation from neighboring prefectures."

Expressing hope for a recovery in fish stocks, a manager of a restaurant in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district that serves Akita cuisine said, "Hatahata dishes are among Akita's best-known specialties, along with 'kiritanpo nabe' hot pot and 'Hinai jidori' chicken."

A council under the Akita prefectural government that is discussing hatahata resources, comprising representatives of the prefectural government and the fishing, fish-processing and distribution industries, will announce its policy direction this autumn.