Snow crab fishing season begins in Sea of Japan

Nov 07 (NHK) - Fishing season for snow crabs, a winter delicacy, began in the Sea of Japan on Tuesday.

The season opened for waters off Toyama Prefecture through Shimane Prefecture.

Snow crabs are given brand names according to the areas where they are unloaded. Those landed at ports in Fukui Prefecture are called "Echizen" crabs.

Some 40 boats set out from the port of Echizen in the prefecture on Monday night for a fishing ground about 30 kilometers away.

Fishermen began putting out their nets at midnight.

About 90 minutes later, the nets were hauled back in with many crabs in them. Some of the crabs had shells more than 10 centimeters wide.

The captain of one of the fishing boats, Makoto Izumi, said the catch was not bad.

This September, crabs under the Echizen label became the first kind to be granted the GI mark under the government system of protecting local specialty labels as intellectual property. GI stands for Japan Geographical Indication.

The fishing season runs through March next year for male crabs and year-end for females.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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