①Lake Towada and Himemasu Salmon

There is a Japanese saying, “If the water is clear, it is devoid of fish.” Lake Towada is a caldera lake that receives very little runoff from the surrounding slopes, so the waters are poor in the nutrients required to support a rich aquatic food chain. To make matters worse, the only exit from Lake Towada is the Oirase River, which has a high waterfall that prevents fish from reaching the lake from downstream. Today, however, the lake is inhabited by himemasu, landlocked salmon also referred to as kokanee, which have been cultivated here since 1905. The kokanee are able to thrive even in the Lake’s clear and nutrient-poor water.

TOP PAGE