Seafood in season in March (No.1)
We will introduce the fish and shellfish that will be in season in March by dividing them into the whole of Japan and the prefectures ranked at the top. Please note that the season may vary depending on the region and year depending on the landing conditions due to climate change, so please consider it as reference data only.
Table of contents
1. Fish and shellfish that are in season in March (whole Japan)
2. 1st place Hokkaido (11 types)
3. 2nd place Hyogo prefecture (8 types)
4. 3rd place Shimane prefecture (7 types)
5. 3rd place Nagasaki prefecture (7 types)
1. Fish and shellfish that are in season in March (whole Japan)
The number of fish and shellfish that will be in season in March is 25 out of the 87 species surveyed, which is the third lowest in a year. The following is a list of 25 types of fish and shellfish in no particular order.
Fish
horse mackerel, sand lance, flatfish, halfbeak, spanish mackerel, Japanese icefish, whitebait, sea bream, Japanese amberjack, gurnard, trout, pond smelt
Shellfish
round clam, ark shell, asari clam, oyster, hard clam, scallop
Other seafood
octopus ocellatus, oval squid, spear squid, herring roe, snow crab, hijikia fusiformis, wakame seaweed
The prefectures with the highest catches and types of fish and shellfish that are in season in March are Hokkaido (11 types of fish and shellfish), Hyogo prefecture (8 types), Shimane prefecture and Nagasaki prefecture (7 type). The 5th place is Aomori prefecture, Ibaraki prefecture, and Chiba prefecture (5 types).
2. 1st place Hokkaido (11 types)
Hokkaido (11 types of fish and shellfish) ranked first in the prefectures with the highest catches and types of fish and shellfish that are in season in March. Hokkaido has been in the top 3 for 9 consecutive months.
In Hokkaido, the following 11 types of fish and shellfish will be in season in March.
Fish
sand lance, flatfish, Japanese icefish, Japanese amberjack, trout, pond smelt
Shellfish
round clam, asari clam, scallop
Other seafood
spear squid, snow crab
“PRIDE FISH”
Japan Fisheries Cooperatives has selected “Ishikari Bay Herring” (season: January-May) for “PRIDE FISH” in the spring of Hokkaido. Also, in winter “PRIDE FISH”,“Wakkanai / Rumoi’s Ginnanso grass” (season: January-March), “Sea of Japan / Funka Bay Scallops” (season: December-March) and “Hakodate Gokko (smooth lumpsucker)” (season: December-April) is selected. We have introduced all of them before, so we won’t explan this time.
3. 2nd place Hyogo prefecture (8 types)
Hyogo Prefecture (8 types of fish and shellfish) was second in the prefectures with the highest catches and types of fish and shellfish that are in season in March.
In Hyogo prefecture, the following eight types of fish and shellfish will be in season in March.
Fish
sand lance, flatfish, whitebait, sea bream
Shellfish
oyster
Other seafood
spear squid, snow crab, wakame seaweed
“PRIDE FISH”
Japan Fisheries Co-operative has selected “Hyogo Flathead flounder” (season: December-March), “Hyogo laver” (season: December-May), and “1 year oysters from Harima Nada” (season: December-February) for “PRIDE FISH” in winter in Hyogo Prefecture. In addition, “Ikanago (sand lance) in the Seto Inland Sea” (season: February-April), “Hyogo Hatahata (Japanese sandfish)” (season: February-April) and “Firefly squid from Hamasaka” (season: March-May) have been selected for “PRIDE FISH” in the spring of Hyogo Prefecture.
Except for “Firefly squid from Hamasaka”, we introduced all of them in the previous “Seafood in season in Feb (No.2)“, so this time we will only introduce “Firefly squid from Hamasaka”.
Firefly squids are landed at Hamasaka Port, Kasumi Port, Shibayama Port, and Tsuiyama Port on the Sea of Japan side of Hyogo Prefecture. In particular, the amount of landing at Hamasaka Port is one of the largest in Japan. Toyama Prefecture is famous for firefly squid, but Hyogo Prefecture has the highest landing volume in Japan. Fishing methods differ between Hyogo and Toyama prefectures.
In Hyogo prefecture, they catch firefly squids by bottom seining fishing in the deep sea at a depth of 200 m, and in Toyama prefecture, they catch firefly squids with fixed nets. The fishing time is also different from daytime in Hyogo prefecture and nighttime in Toyama prefecture. In Hyogo prefecture, the season is spring, but it is caught all year round, but in Toyama prefecture, it is limited to March to May when the female firefly squid spawns.
4. 3rd place Shimane prefecture (7 types)
Shimane Prefecture (7 types of fish and shellfish) ranked third in the prefectures with the highest catches and types of fish and shellfish that are in season in March. Nagasaki Prefecture is also in third place.
In Shimane Prefecture, the following seven types of fish and shellfish are in season in March.
Fish
horse mackerel, flatfish, spanish mackerel, Japanese icefish, Japanese amberjack, gurnard
Other seafood
snow crab
“PRIDE FISH”
In Shimane Prefecture, there were only four types of “PRIDE FISH” selected by Japan Fisheries Co-operative in one year, and there were no applicable fish and shellfish in March.
5. 3rd place Nagasaki prefecture (7 types)
Nagasaki Prefecture (7 types of fish and shellfish) ranked third in the prefectures with the highest catches and types of fish and shellfish that are in season in March. Shimane Prefecture is also in third place.
In Nagasaki Prefecture, the following seven types of fish and shellfish will be in season in March.
Fish
horse mackerel, sea bream, Japanese amberjack
Shellfish
asari clam
Other seafood
spear squid, hijikia fusiformis, wakame seaweed
“PRIDE FISH”
Japan Fisheries Cooperatives has selected “Nagasaki Torafugu (cultured tiger puffer)” (season: November-March) as “PRIDE FISH” in winter in Nagasaki Prefecture. We’ve introduced both before, so we won’t explain them this time.
Next time, we will introduce the 3 prefectures that were in 5th place.