ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--A large cluster of ascidians, commonly known as sea squirts, are thriving on a new underwater farm off the coast here as the industry is making a comeback from the devastating 2011 tsunami.
ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--A large cluster of ascidians, commonly known as sea squirts, are thriving on a new underwater farm off the coast here as the industry is making a comeback from the devastating 2011 tsunami.
Farming resumed after wild sea squirts were collected for the project.
Masayoshi Takahashi, representative of dive shop High Bridge in Onagawa, gathered wild sea squirts for breeding earlier this month.
“I started cooperating with the project because I wanted to help local fishermen,” said Takahashi, 36. “I want to continue this as I believe the continuation of the farming will lead to the reconstruction of the town.”
The small filter feeder species is a delicacy from Onagawa and elsewhere along the Sanriku coast of the Tohoku region.
The colony of the species is found on ledges at about 10 meters below the sea surface.
Although sea squirt farming was formerly flourishing in the area, the tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, swept away aquaculture rafts, dealing a major blow to the industry.