squidboats

squidboats, originally uploaded by vibromama.

Squid fishing is the main industry here, and boats leave port in the late afternoon for the off-shore seas, where they fish overnight using an array of powerful lamps to attract the squid. Viewed from a mountain, their many bright lights seem to float on the horizon.
Yet, their number has been decreasing in recent years, along with the number of squid. Probably, drastic over-fishing is taking place here much like all over the rest of Japan. Ironically, the dried squid snacks available in local shops and even tourist traps, touted as Tsushima squid, all seem to originate from China, as can be verified from the small print on the backs of the packages.