Season’s first scallop catch unloaded in Wakkanai, Hokkaido

Scallop fishing is underway in northern Japan’s Hokkaido, with the season’s first hauls unloaded at a port in Wakkanai on Monday.

The coast along the Sea of Okhotsk in Hokkaido generally supplies one of Japan’s biggest harvests of the shellfish.

However, local officials say catches have been poor since last year, due to rising sea temperatures and a shortage of the plankton the scallops feed on.

Fisher Noshiroya Fuyuki said he will try hard to harvest high-quality scallops from the small stock available. He said he hopes consumers will enjoy the delicacy.

The scallop fishing season off Wakkanai will continue until around November.