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Women of the seashore
Women of the shore stand in front of their planted trees along the coast in Muroran. 99.10.23/ Temperature: 8C/ Weather: Partly cloudy/Wind Direction: W
Current Location: Muroran / Latitude: 42 19 30 N/ Longitude: 140 58 39 E
Distance Traveled: 0 km (Rest day)The Fishermen's Wives' Club of the Muroran Fishing Cooperative is a dynamic group of women supporting the culture of the sea. Our long morning together began when the boats came in at 4:30 A.M. I followed the fish from the boat to the market and was introduced to several ways that the Wives' Club is contributing to the conservation of fish and fishing culture.
Six to eight men slowly docked the large fishing boat in the darkness of the early morning bay. Mrs. Nakagoshi informed me that the men had been out at sea since around 3 A.M. Scooping close to 60kg or 20 salmon large salmon out of the bed of the boat bed, the boat captain lowered and emptied the fish into a big bin. The bin whizzed over to the sorting line where close to 15 men grasped and tossed the salmon into different baskets according to size and sex. The slapping and flapping of fresh salmon sounded out through the warehouse. Before I knew it, the catch for the day was on the back of a truck and headed for the market.
At the market fishermen from different area lined up their fresh angler , kasago (hemilepidotus gilberti ), and of course the salmon that we carted in. Last night was quite stormy so overall the day's catch was smaller than average. The day's price setting and auctioning was about to begin as we departed.
Members of the Muroran Fishing Cooperative and supporters of "Exploration for Wisdom" meet at newly planted forest along coast. Catching and bringing fish to market is one of the main jobs in fishing, however the Wives' Club has gone so far as to plant a forest to help save the sea and its fish. "We have been planting trees in this area for 9 years," said Mrs. Nakagoshi standing in front of rows of small Japanese Oaks and pines. The steep slope below us dropped-off to the blue of ocean. Frigid autumn wind swept in from the east.
"We say that the forest is the home town of the sea's fish" she continued. "The coast here used to be all forest. After the war most of it was cut down for fuel and building material. Our slogan now is to recreate the seashore of a hundred years ago over the course of one hundred years. The forest prevents dirty water from flowing into the ocean. Fallen leaves also increase the amount of plankton for fish to feed on."
Salmon! Can you tell which is male and which is female? The activities of the Wives' Club don't end here. The club is making attempts to pass-on the healthy, delicious, and wise diet of fishing culture here in Japan by opening up cooking classes for community members. Out of the chilly wind and in the warm Fishing Cooperative, Mrs. Nakagoshi explained their efforts.
"The problem nowadays is that people don't know how to prepare fish dishes. The most delicious dishes are ones you make yourself from scratch. Most people only make dishes from pre-sliced fish sold in stores. Many of the mothers who come to our cooking classes screech and squeal when cutting open fish. Kids won't grow-up to like fish this way. There are so many ways to cook fish deliciously. Through good taste and having kids join in the fun of preparing fish, we are hoping to pass on the wisdom of our culture."
Not only are the women of the seashore in Muroran making brave attempts at passing on their fishing culture, they also have made connections between the health of the forest, sea, and fish. I found them to be quite a clever bunch. What do all of you think?
Greg
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