Microseason: Salmon Herd

WINTER

SNOWFALL

SALMON HERD

16 - 20 December

Salmon, born in river waters, join the ocean along with snowmelt, where they grow into maturity in the vast sea. Four to six years on, they then return to the rivers of their birthplace to spawn. This return to the river where they were born is called hosen kaiki, or literally, return to Mother River. It is said that salmon are able to find their way, guided by the scent of the river where they were born.

Like the salmon, we too begin heading home for New Years. In Japan, it’s the most honored holiday of the year. With most people taking at least 7 days to spend with family.

Depending on the region and occasion, the cooking method runs a wide spectrum: grilled, roasted, and deep-fried fillets, soy sauce-preserved roe, steamed with rice, hero ingredient in soups and stews, pickled, wrapped in kombu and braised. And salt-preserved whole dried salmon called Aramakizake are gifted toward the end of the year. Said to ward off misfortune. A play on the word sake (salmon), which is a homonym for “avert” or “evade”.

In addition to food things, salmon leather has also been traditionally used as for footwear and coats in the coldest regions of Japan. Keri boots are crafted so that the salmon fin falls on the underside, serving as slip guard in the ice and snow.

While salmon are a hugely important heritage material of Japan, the return rate of salmon to Japan has been declining year over year. So much so that the catch has decreased to less than a quarter of what it was 20 years ago. After hatching, young salmon travel downriver in Spring, leave the Japanese coast, and move to the nutrient-rich Sea of Okhotsk between Japan and Russia. They then migrate seasonally through the North Atlantic, the Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Alaska, becoming stronger before returning. The dramatic decrease in salmon numbers can be linked to the loss of ice in the Sea of Okhotsk, as salmon prefer cold waters. Rising water temperatures may prevent the fry from developing properly, and when ocean currents weaken, nutrients do not effectively flow to the North Atlantic where they are needed through Winter.

Photo credit: Momoko Nakamura