Japan: The earthquake and tsunami of March this year have colossally diminished the young abalone stock off Miyagi Prefecture.
Young abalone numbers have dwindled by more than 90 per cent, according to the Yokohama-based National Research Institute of Fisheries. The abalone catch may struggle for several years. The NRIF believes the tsunami washed the molluscs away.
The institute ran a study in the districts of Tomarihama and Iwaisaki, both in Miyagi Prefecture, in co-operation with the University of Tokyo and the Miyagi prefectural government. Researchers examined ezo abalone up to one year old in waters off both areas in June and compared the results to similar research conducted in February, The Yomiuri Shimbun reports.
Off Ishinomaki, numbers dropped radically: only three young shellfish were found per hour per person in June, versus 29 in February. Off Kesennuma, no young shellfish were spotted in June, compared to about ten young shellfish per hour per person in February. In addition, researchers discovered that the population of adult abalone in the two areas has dropped by 30-50 percent since February.
Other marine creatures have also been affected: northern sea urchin numbers in Ishinomaki are down by more than 90 percent from February, according to the study. Researchers reported that seabed water in both areas was muddy and in Kesennuma, strewn with debris such as fishery equipment, wood and iron frames. Most abalone farms along the Sanriku coast have not yet recovered from the tsunami and may not be able to resume operations at all.
The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said that in fiscal 2009, Miyagi Prefecture boasted the second-biggest abalone catch and the third-biggest sea urchin catch in Japan.
FIS