“Goya,” or bitter gourd, is the first Okinawan vegetable that comes to mind when I think of summer.
I’m in bliss when its distinctive bitterness is enhanced by “awamori,” a distilled alcoholic beverage indigenous to Okinawa.
Until about 30 years ago, shipments of goya out of Okinawa were restricted because of the melon fly, an agricultural pest about 8 millimeters in length.
An invasive species, the bug, called urimibae in Japanese, lays eggs on goya and other fruits and vegetables, and the larvae devour them from within.
The damage had to be prevented from spreading beyond Okinawa Prefecture, but the shipment restrictions hurt local goya farmers.
What could be done?
The answer came in 1972, in the form of a surprise strategy undertaken for the first time in Japan.
Instead of exterminating the flies, the program aimed to artificially propagate the species.
When the insects reached their pupal stage, they were exposed to radiation that eliminated their reproductive ability.
Released to the wild en masse, these sterilized male flies would mate with wild females, but their eggs would not hatch.
By repeating this cycle enough times, the flies’ “normal” mating chances could be reduced and consequently render the species incapable of repopulating.
After a mind-boggling 62.5 billion sterilized bugs had been released, their “extermination” was declared in 1993.
I remember being amazed by the news at the time. Instead of relying on a pesticide or fly catching paper, the program controlled the melon fly population by exploiting their survival instinct.
Unfortunately, the segurourimibae, which is a close relative of the melon fly, was discovered on Okinawa’s main island last year and is believed to be proliferating.
To contain the spread of damage, the prefecture is reviving the 1972 strategy.
This autumn, the program will be accelerated to release 24 million “treated” bugs per week to exterminate the population.
I look forward eagerly to raising, before long, a glass of awamori in celebration of the program’s success.
And when that happens, there definitely will be a goya dish on my table.
—The Asahi Shimbun, June 19
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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