Hokkaido salmon haul drops to 10-year low

The salmon catch in Japan’s northern prefecture of Hokkaido has fallen to a 10-year low. Experts say global warming may be to blame for the poor haul.

Prices of the popular delicacy are now high, particularly for salmon roe, known as ikura in Japanese.

A customer says ikura is expensive but he has to buy it because it is a regular feature in New Year dishes.

Another says she sends ikura as a gift to her friend in Tokyo every year, and the surging prices have hit her hard.

By early October, fishery workers caught a little over 3.9 million salmon. That figure is down about 60 percent from last year.

Officials at Hokkaido’s Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute say sea temperatures have risen by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius, and this makes it harder for young salmon to survive and grow.