Utoro fishing port - Watching salmon being unloaded at Salmon Terrace

26 August 2023

One thing Hokkaido is best known for is its seafood which includes salmon and ikura (the fresh salmon roe). Eight varieties of salmon are caught in the Shiretoko marine area, with chum salmon and pink salmon being the most common.

Visiting Shiretoko during late August presented us with an opportunity to see salmon being landed at the Utoro Fishing Port and I seized it immediately. I could still remember the thrill of witnessing tuna being landed and auctioned off in Ki-Kasuura’s fishing port during my previous Kumano Kodo trip.  

We woke early on this day as we had lots of activities planned in Shiretoko National Park. Before heading into Shiretoko National Park, we made a stop at Utoro Fishing Port where there is a rooftop viewing area called the Utoro Salmon Terrace.                                

I had read that during the salmon season, visitors could see fishing boats unloading freshly caught salmon and other fishes directly below from around 7 to 10 AM in the morning if the weather is good.

We arrived at the car park located on the second floor of the Salmon Terrace at about 7.10 am. There were a few boats moored silently below but no activity was in sight.

Perhaps we were too early for the salmon season which is in autumn. We saw some salmon at the Onnebetsu River on our way to Utoro the day before but not a lot.

                                Silent boats moored at Utoro Fishing Port.

There was not much that we could do at the quiet Salmon Terrace except to snap some photos of Utoro harbour and Oronko Rock.

Oronko Rock and Utoro harbour as seen from the Salmon Terrance.

Zoomed in photo of the gulls resting on the water.

Utoro harbour with part of the L-shaped Salmon Terrace viewable and Shiretoko Mountain range in the back.

Iruka Hotel(biege colour building) next to the large rock formation which was the back of Gamera Rock.

Just when we were about to leave feeling disappointed, I took a moment to snap a photo of Iruka Hotel (our hotel in Utoro), facing the entrance of the harbour.

That was when I spotted one fishing boat approaching from the sea.

Then a second one appeared!

It looked like we are in luck and could see some action after all.

We waited in excitement as both boats entered and circled round the harbour before mooring on the wharf right below us.

First boat circling round the harbour.

Boat with crane raised and cargo secured. All ready to be unloaded even before the boat was moored.

Bird’s eye view of the salmon landing from the 2nd floor. There is even a wooden bench for the kids and “not so tall” to have a better view.

Fishing in the waters around Utoro is mainly done using set nets. After capture, the fish are cooled in ice as they are transferred to port.

Massive hauls of huge fish unloaded by crane.

The fish are scooped from boats in nets or bags onto a large sorting table. As the salmon were being unloaded from the main bins, they are sorted into various baskets by size, sex (female salmon is prized for their roe) and other qualities.         

Sorting table full of unloaded salmon and other fishes.

This catch being landed is not as big as those I saw in the internet.

The prized salmon and larger fishes were picked from the sorting table first.

Crate full of salmon.

Then the remaining fishes like sting rays are collected.                                    

Workers collecting small rays into a plastic basket.

These rays are not very big.

        

Crates with flounder and puffer fish.

 
The fishermen worked fast, like a well drilled F1 team. This is vital to ensure that the fish are shipped at the height of their freshness. Fish rots fast in the heat of the morning sun. Summer has been extraordinary hot this year in Japan and Asia.

The baskets of fish were quickly weighed, cooled in ice and loaded into wholesalers' trucks.

We did not witness any auctioning. These were probably done beforehand. In most cases, brokers bid on the catch by boatload.

The catch is transported by trucks to nearby processing plants.

Weighing the baskets with different types of fishes before packing them in ice.

The boat crew quickly washes their boat and the sorting table once all the fish were unloaded and sorted.

Clean up in progress.

Flushing away the blood and slime from the sorting table.

Second boat unloading their catch.

Soon after the boats were washed and departed the harbour for their next sortie. The whole salmon landing process took about 10 minutes!

First boat leaving for the next sortie.

Jellyfish remains floats near the surface of the sea after the boats departed. The gulls show no interest in the jellyfishes.

What we saw was probably only a small catch. It is not unusual for daily catch exceeding 500 tons to be landed at this port. While fisherman took out so much from the sea, it is good to learn that the region has devoted energy to salmon hatching and release programs to achieve stable catches while preserving the natural environment.

Continue Reading »

Hiking the Shiretoko Five Lakes nature trail at Shiretoko National Park

26 August 2023

Shiretoko National Park covers most of the Shiretoko Peninsula at the north-eastern tip of Hokkaido. It is one of Japan's most beautiful and unspoiled national parks. The peninsula is home to Japan’s largest population of brown bears, as well as ezo deer and red foxes. 

No roads lead further than about three fourths up the peninsula, and the northern tip can only be viewed from boats.

The main highlight for us would be doing a hike at Shiretoko Five Lakes or Goko.  These five small lakes were formed long ago by the eruption of nearby Mount Io and fed by underground springs. A 3.6 km long hiking trail offers beautiful views of the five lakes, wilderness with surrounding mountains in the background and provide visitors an easy way to experience Shiretoko's unspoiled nature. 

This trail is opened from mid-April to mid-November but often closed due to the presence of dangerous brown bears which roam freely in the park. During the “bear active season” where there is a peak of bear activity from May 10 to July 31, access to the nature trails is possible only by joining a tour group led by a licensed, Japanese speaking nature guide. Tours take about three hours and depart every ten minutes. They cost around 5000 yen per person.

There is also a 800 meter long, wooden elevated boardwalk leads from the parking lot to the first lake. The boardwalk is free to use, wheelchair accessible and open for the entire season from late April to late November. However, visitors can only see views of the First Lake, the Sea of Okhotsk and the surrounding mountains.  

We were lucky to visit during the Eco Preservation Awareness Season (which starts from 1 August) where the nature trails can be walked on an individual basis without guides. However, we need to a pay an admission fee of 250 yen per person and attend a 10 minutes lecture with video presentation to get "certified" for the ground hike. A maximum of (50) visitors are admitted at a time with (10) minute intervals.

It is also important to check the status of the trail before going as the trails may get closed in case of bear sightings.

In our case, we went early on 26 August 2023. The trail was actually closed the day before (on 25 August) due to brown bear sighting!

We were fortunate to visit on Aug 26 when the trail reopened.

We drove to the Shiretoko Goko Lakes Field House early in the morning. First, we must complete a form with our personal particulars. Then we purchased the admission tickets from a vending machine in the Shiretoko Goko Lakes Field House. Once done, we presented the tickets and completed form to the attending rangers to register for the next ground trail lecture at 8.40 AM.

It is advisable to do the ground trail hike early in the day for two reasons:

1. The trail would be closed for the day once a bear is spotted. So, go early before anyone spots a bear that day!

2. The forest will be cooler in the morning.

The lecture was presented in Japanese but there is an accompanying video with English subtitles so it was easy to follow. The video is about the “dos and don'ts” when in the park and how to avoid encounters with bears. Brown bears could attack if they are surprised or if they need to protect their cubs. Humans cannot outrun a bear, so the best way is to announced our presence and they will typically avoid contact. We were told to clap our hands and shout out loud if walking through closed terrain with poor visibility ahead.

Once the lecture was completed, the group of about 50 persons were let loose into the ground pathways.

  Short and long duration routes are available along the Ground Pathways. Almost everyone chose to do the long route that goes through all 5 lakes.

Starting our hike on the ground trail.

Besides being fortunate to come on a day when the ground trail was open, we were also blessed with excellent weather. The sky was clear and blue with scattered clouds, giving us excellent views of the lakes and Shiretoko mountains. However, it was also humid and warm in the forest. We were soon perspiring from the hike.

Initially after starting the trail, we were part of a large group. There was little chance of us encountering any bear as the family in front of us with two small kids were making so much noise (clapping, singing and shouting) that any bear would be long gone.

The group later dispersed as each family or groups walks at different pace. Some, like us, linger to snap photos at each scenic spot. And there were plenty of scenic spots!

These are the photos we took during the hike on the ground trail.

The first lake we saw was the Fifth Lake.

Shiretoko's unspoiled nature.

Fifth Lake.

Pink mushrooms growing on side of  the boardwalk.

The Fourth Lake with the Shiretoko mountains reflected on the surface of the lake.

Awesome scenery!

More mushrooms.

More views of the Fourth Lake and mountains.

Imagine meeting a brown bear that may appear anytime.

Third Lake.

      

Views of the Second Lake.

There are actually 2 viewing points for the Second Lake.

At the second viewing point of the Second Lake.

Tree trunks snapped like matchsticks from the force of previous storms or typhoons that is common in Japan.

The views get better and better!

Second Lake.

Arriving at the First Lake.

 

Water lilies cover a large part of the First Lake. 

View of the elevation platform from the ground trail.

The last part (800 m) of the 3 km long loop was on the elevated wooden platform. The wooden platform zigzags through an almost flat, bushy terrain with views of the Shiretoko Mountains on one side and the Sea of Okhotsk on the other side and clear blue sky above.

We stopped to take the “mandatory” photo at the Lakeside observation deck with views of the First Lake and the Shiretoko Mountains in the back.

Photo spot on the Elevated Platform with the First Lake and Shiretoko Mountains in the background.

The elevated pathway offers a safe viewing platform due to the installation of an electric fence on the side. The signage on the electric fence gave me feeling of Jurassic Park as I walked down the path, half expecting a bear to jump out from below. Unfortunately, no animal was sighted. Not even a deer. 

Bears are excellent climbers. The electric fence could be clearly seen on the side of the elevated pathway. 

  View of the Sea of Okhotsk.

Visitors using all means to protect themselves from the scorching sun.

The walk back to the Field House was an anti-climax. By then, it was just too hot to the enjoy the walk on the elevated platform. Overall, our walk on the trail took about 2 hours.

My original plan was to drive on an unpaved road to see the Kamuiwakka Hot Falls after the Five Lakes hike. This waterfall is unique in that it is fed by a natural hot spring, so the water is warm.

We skipped going to the Kamuiwakka Hot Falls as they did not allow visitors to self drive to the falls during this period. Instead, they were charging 2000 yen per person to go via shuttle bus.  

After a short rest at the Shiretoko Goko Lakes Field House, we continued on our drive to Rausu via the Shiretoko Pass.

Continue Reading »