Japanese salmon catches plummet in losing battle to climate change

Depressing news.

Nothing lasts forever and Japans over consumption of everything, including salmon, will have to change. Perhaps they should stop messing with nature in the first place by releasing artificially hatched salmon into the rivers.

It's sad,but the harsh reality is,they were overfished.

I lived in Narvik, Norway in the late '90s.

Every morning,a plane would arrive chock-full with Japanese salmon,and depart chock-full with Norwegian salmon.

The reason for this?

Japanese love fatty meat, Europeans prefer lean.

Sustainable?

Japanese salmon catches plummet in losing battle to climate change

But climate change is a hoax!!!, will keep screaming brain-addled right wingers, ignoring the ever-growing mountain of evidence proving its cruel reality.

Yes. Overfishing is the biggest challenge Japan and the world face regarding seafood.

And Trump is increasing America’s addiction to fossil fuels.

As the population falls, less fish will be needed to feed them.

pink salmon, which thrive in colder waters, are rapidly increasing in the Bering Sea in the northern Pacific Ocean

Then go fish there!

I wouldn’t be from over m fishing. Wouldn’t want to blame the fishermen

Blaming global

warming for the decline in Salmon?

How about the massive popularity of the fish as a food in Japan?

Nothing in the article about that.

Salmon was never consumed very much in Japan until the 1980’s

Now, not only Japan but other countries sushi has become a fad.

However, most salmon in Japan is imported and that makes the problem of Hokkaido salmon a small one.

Takeuchi needs to travel a bit more and see the overconsumption.

I have a friend who is a vegetarian-bordering-on-vegan. Not the sanctimonious type at all, doesn't push it on people, in fact I only found out when it came up in conversation one day. But whenever we're talking and stories similar to this come up, he notes that there's a pretty strong connection between the eating of animals and environmental issues, and says (again, without coming across as holier-than-thou) that more vegetarians would mean an improvement in environmental issues, so if you don't agree with the ethical stance of vegetarians, you could also come at it from the ecological / environmental side.

How about the massive popularity of the fish as a food in Japan?

Nothing in the article about that.

From the article:

The tough and chewy salmon fillets, known to pack natural umami flavor, have long been a Japanese snack favorite.

Also from the article:

Japan's salmon fishing industry, a key driver of the country's food culture, peaked in the 1990s and 2000s as artificial hatching and release programs expanded.

Old fishermen in my little port say warming water is changing the sea weed/ kelp and affecting fish varieties.

They must be part of the big hoax and receiving money from scientists in the west.

Guru Mick, you should know by now that if it is based on fact and reality ,then it is fake news.

And if it is an unsubstantiated myth then it is true.

And good PR like this helps raise the prices.

Salmons like cold seas. Rising water temperatures due to climate change can significantly impact salmon populations.

Better find something else to eat then.

Yess 100% agree, few years back I use to see so many returning Salmons to lay their eggs and now I see NONE and I mean NONE, since about 4 ago I noticed that they are none. I thought they may have moved to a different river or area but then this report came along and it was a shock.

Yes STOP messing with mother nature, and stop burning your trash at night when NO ONE can see the smoke.

NOT TO WORRY,

Soon foods processing centers will soon find a away to make Processed Salmon a mixture of other fishes with some orange coloring added and no one will notice, just like processed Crabmeat sold in packages.

Yeah now where are those climate change naysayers lol

Regarding sea warming, undersea volcanism is much under-discussed.

Regarding sea warming, undersea volcanism is much under-discussed

Have you read a lot about this?

Climate change, We’ve only had 100+ years of scientists warning us to do something about it.

Nothing to do with the amount humans are taking?! Nothing to do with the fact humans kill the fish, take the eggs and bin the rest? Have they worked out that by eating the eggs every year it means less eggs are going back into the rivers?

Never mind releasing the fry, bring them on to full size and sell the resulting crop. No shortage of eggs then and no need to over fish the natural supply.

Has zilch to do with climate, which is relatively cool, historically. Populations vary according to the availability of forage and the density of predators.

This is just another way for the government to tell us we're going to be paying a hell of a lot more $$ for my favorite fish.

Why was the population lower in 1989?

I have a friend who's daughter worked part time in Alaska during summer break from college. Her job was stenciling "Product of Hokkaido". On cases of Salmon roe (ikura).

There is always Norwegian salmon to substitute.

Samit Basu Today 02:04 am JST “There is always Norwegian salmon to substitute.“

farm raised junk. it’s so grotesquely gray that it is dyed. you’d never eat it if you saw it in its raw form. if people read about norwegian fish farming, they’d stay away from it forever.

So many factors here which impact the salmon population.

Overconsumption (not only Japan specific) and global warming.

People who say global warming doesn't exist are equal level as flat earthers who cannot proof anything.

By the time it is to late they are the first to extinct.

Regarding sea warming, undersea volcanism is much under-discussed.

The tiny effect compared with human activity derived CO2, methane, etc. explains why, no importance means not much discussion.

I am suspicious at why for such an alarmist article why it could not use a dated photo outside the salmon run of October. Last years Ikura prices did not reflect the shortage and when there is a shortage of produce prices reflect this shortage like this years rice harvest. This is climate change propaganda and poorly done. Relying. on the lack of knowledge by the everyday consumer. Yes there is shortage but not to the extent the article is claiming. This due to the lack of salmon fisherman and imports being cheaper than the local produce.

he notes that there's a pretty strong connection between the eating of animals and environmental issues, and says (again, without coming across as holier-than-thou) that more vegetarians would mean an improvement in environmental issues, so if you don't agree with the ethical stance of vegetarians, you could also come at it from the ecological / environmental side.

Sorry but your "friend" has fallen for the "vegetarianism/veganism saves the planet" lie - he's is completely wrong. The REAL environmental catastrophe is industrial-scale monocropping, the backbone of plant-based diets, particularly soy farming.

You know what soy production does? It OBLITERATES biodiversity, decimates rainforests (see: the Amazon, which is being torched to make way for soy plantations... right now), and drowns the land in pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. And don't you dare forget that the majority of plant-based agriculture relies on synthetic soil amendments that wreck the ecosystem.

In fact not only is your friend wrong, the OPPOSITE of what he said is true - properly managed livestock, such as rotational grazing, actually improves soil health, increases carbon sequestration, and prevents desertification. Time for your friend to STOP pretending his "Beyond Meat" Burger (wrapped in plastic and flown across the world btw) is the environmental savior while conveniently ignoring the actual destruction his misinformed tofu habit is fueling.

I am suspicious at why for such an alarmist article why it could not use a dated photo outside the salmon run of October.

What of the information of the article is wrong or out of proportion? without this you can't call something alarmist just because it properly describes a situation.

Climate change do not need propaganda, it is a scientific fact proved beyond any reasonable doubt already. What depends on lack of knowledge is to try to disregard the information provided based on absolutely nothing but a personal opinion.

So, which of the reasons described in the article are wrong?

The REAL environmental catastrophe is industrial-scale monocropping, the backbone of plant-based diets, particularly soy farming.

How does this affects every country in the world? every ocean? because the consequences of climate change include the whole planet and the experts clearly and unequivocally call it the first priority to address. Having a personal opinion is not the same as proving something is a fact, for that you would need actual sources.

 properly managed livestock, such as rotational grazing, actually improves soil health, increases carbon sequestration, and prevents desertification.

Not according to the experts, everything you describe can be done without problem and with lower costs without any livestock.

Not according to the experts, everything you describe can be done without problem and with lower costs without any livestock.

Nope, all you have done is attempt an "experts say" argument, perhaps because blindly parroting the climate doomsday script is so much easier than thinking critically.

If you need "actual sources" to prove that climate hysteria is more about control than saving the planet, just take a look at who's profiting from it.

Nope, all you have done is attempt an "experts say" argument, perhaps because blindly parroting the climate doomsday script is so much easier than thinking critically.

Thinking critically means listening to the actual experts that can show data and studies to support what they say instead of blindly believing you must be right and they wrong even when you can't present any evidence.

If you need "actual sources" to prove that climate hysteria is more about control than saving the planet, just take a look at who's profiting from it.

So, no sources at all, not even one single institution in all the world. This may surprise you but "Source: trust me bro" means you are accepting you have no argument no evidence to support what you believe.

Thinking critically means listening to the actual experts that can show data and studies to support what they say instead of blindly believing you must be right and they wrong even when you can't present any evidence.

Uh, no champ, actual critical thinking means questioning all claims, including those from your so-called "experts," especially when their "data and studies" conveniently ALIGN with corporate interests, government agendas, or whatever narrative they're being paid to push. Unfortunately for you, your "experts" aren't infallible gods handing down unquestionable truths. If they were, half of history's greatest scientific breakthroughs - many of which overturned "expert consensus" - would never have happened.

Virus the price reflect the shortage and last season Ikura price were up only by 15%. This reflect the shortage of salmon fisherman or those who gamble to fit themself out for catching salmon like buying a Quota and equipment, instead of buying saltwater species quota. It depends on what is selling the best for return and salmon fishing has a low return during the harvest months October. The flesh is of poor quality and the females are harvest for their Ikura which is at maximum quality.

Virus you are a smart poster and your scienctific knowledge is immense but your knowledge of the fishing industry is zero.

Uh, no champ, actual critical thinking means questioning all claims, including those from your so-called "experts," especially when their "data and studies" conveniently ALIGN with corporate interests, government agendas, or whatever narrative they're being paid to push. 

That is the normal situation in science, yet you choose to believe the opposite without having ANY evidence, that means you are an example of the opposite of critical thinking even by your own standards. You simply believe you must be correct, even without any evidence to prove your point and even worse, with evidence that proves the opposite.

Virus the price reflect the shortage and last season Ikura price were up only by 15%. 

The article is mainly about the huge decrease in the quantity of salmon, not the prices, your are trying to misrepresent the situation as if there was no decrease and the prices artificially inflated, but that does absolutely nothing against what is well described in the article.

If there were less fishermen then there would be more salmon to catch, yet the people interviewed say the opposite is what is happening, there is a huge reduction that makes it impossible to get a living from it. This means you are trying to invert the cause-effect described without any kind of evidence to support it.

Where are the fishermen that say they can catch more than before because there is less competition? where are the scientists saying that the number of salmon available has not changed? That is what is needed for your argument to hold any weight, without it the sources of the article are simply much more likely to be correct, there is much less salmon available so people can no longer make a living from it.

You are trying to represent what you believe as if it was a fact, present sources that say this is the situation of the fishing industry or accept the article contradicting you is a reliable source and your beliefs are mistaken.

You are correct Virus scienctific knowledge out weighs the knowledge of fisherman and the fishing industry. You are correct again the quota has no bearing on stocks and you are correct again about how the my assuming of the fisherman gambles each season whether to buy which quota. I could I ever doubt your, educational and scientific thesis on North Pacific salmon fish stock over the Japanese profession fisherman.

You are correct Virus scienctific knowledge out weighs the knowledge of fisherman and the fishing industry. 

Just because you claim that the fisherman and the fishing industry say otherwise that does not mean it is actually the case, again you brought exactly zero references supporting the claim you make. If someone comes and say here that fishermen are saying the situation is even worse than what the article says, would you just accept that as an argument?

You again are just claiming something without any evidence, and expect people to just believe the article (and the people's opinion collected in it) are just lying. That is not a realistic proposition. For that you need (again) something that can be verified to prove it.

Meanwhile record salmon season now taking place in Alaska and US upper east coast?

World a complicated place, maybe salmon smarter than we realize, finding safer places where humans eat less on average?! Many wildlife species try to avoid humans!

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever with changing climate patterns. Can this be supplemented with modern farming techniques somehow?

farm raised junk. it’s so grotesquely gray that it is dyed. you’d never eat it if you saw it in its raw form. if people read about norwegian fish farming, they’d stay away from it forever.

Anyone who enjoys salmon sushi in Japan and elsewhere (it is a pretty recent thing actually) has almost certainly eaten Norwegian Salmon.

It's perfectly fine. If it were "junk," it would not be one of the most popular sushi toppings in Japan.

Totally correct Fighto.

A researcher has warned that climate change is forcing Hokkaido's chum salmon, which make up the bulk of Japan's salmon catch, into a losing battle with a relative for food, hindering their return in large numbers to spawn in the rivers where they were released.

Survival of the fittest

NewgirlintownFeb. 25  05:22 pm JST

And Trump is increasing America’s addiction to fossil fuels.

As he keeps saying that pink is blue, and Americans nod their heads in unison:

'yessir!'

'yessir!'

'yessir!'....

@rainyday

Japanese salmon has only been a thing in Japan since the 1980s.

Most elderly Japanese will tell you this too.

Sushi restaurants in Japan considered it as a fish to avoid also.