Voyage for [Fukui Amaebi], the Future of Fishermen | Part 1
Update-Date: Jun 3, 2025
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From Trade to Fishery ― The Development of Mikuniminato
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Amaebi Fishing: A Staple of Fukui Prefecture

Surprisingly, amaebi has a very short fishing history. Masakatsu Hamade, who is the president of the representative governing body of Mikuni Port Dragnet Fishing Cooperative Association claims that the root of the fishing is here in Mikuni.
“The fishermen knew for a long time that amaebi can be caught as they were accidentally caught in crab fishing. However, given that the shrimps settled 500 meters under the sea, no technology was available at the time to catch them pinpointed. It is said that shrimp catching started in 1958, as crabs were poorly caught.” Hamade noted that this oral theory might be wrong, but it is speculated that amaebi catching became a business around 1955.
According to the Fisheries Division of Fukui, the news article “Poor Catch of Crabs” on December 18th, 1957, states that “Due to the poor catch of crabs in 1958, fishermen in Fukui started amaebi fishing.”
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Its ecology is quite extraordinary. All amaebi is born male to five years, and from six years onward, it undergoes sex reversal. It fertilizes biennially, and it spawns the eggs around March or April after being pregnant for a year. Spending the next year without eggs, it is fertilized again. In this cycle, the shrimp spawns approximately three times in their eleven years of lifetime.
The characteristic of amaebi is its unique sweetness that spreads when eating its translucent body. Hamade told us that the delicious taste is heavily related to time.
[Fukui Brand] Preserving the Natural Resources for the Future
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Sure, there are other prefectures such as Hokkaido and Ishikawa that boast the catch of amaebi, but the auction held in the evening (fish auction is normally held in the morning), and the strict criteria make the ones in Fukui especially well-conditioned.
![Voyage for [Fukui Amaebi], the Future of Fishermen | Part 1](https://rimage.savorjapan.com/svj/image/discover_oishii_japan/1553/article_142759_w640z.jpg)
“Amaebi shoals 500 meters underwater, so we use a dragnet called “Maedare Ami.” By floating the dragnet above the sea bed and pulling it precisely at amaebi’s habitat, other fish are not trapped. We carefully pull the net so as not to damage the soft body of the shrimp. After catching them, we deliver it after releasing the shrimps into a pool set at the temperature of two degrees which is a temperature akin to their habitat.” All of the processes are executed with care, and providing the most delicious shrimps starts with fishing.
![Voyage for [Fukui Amaebi], the Future of Fishermen | Part 1](https://rimage.savorjapan.com/svj/image/discover_oishii_japan/1553/article_142760_w640z.jpg)
Eiichirō Hamade explains, “To stop overfishing, we make it a rule of the cooperative association to trawl for amaebi only twice a sail. When the catch is poor, we allow trawling three times. My ship aims for about 1000 pounds per fishing.”
Waking up at 12:00 am, the fishermen depart the port at 1:00 am. Around 5:00 am, the ship arrives at the fishing ground and starts fishing. The second fishing starts at noon. Leaving the fishing ground around 4:00 pm and arriving around 7:00 pm, the fishermen swiftly start preparing for the evening auction. Sorting is performed on the ship. As there are more sorting criteria than in other prefectures, the process is difficult. On top of that, the shrimp is extremely delicate, so “it might get burned” if touched with a bare hand. Thus, sorting is performed with rubber gloves, without touching the shrimp unnecessarily.
![Voyage for [Fukui Amaebi], the Future of Fishermen | Part 1](https://rimage.savorjapan.com/svj/image/discover_oishii_japan/1553/article_142761_w640z.jpg)
The bodies of the freshly-caught shrimps glow. The expensive ones are the large female amaebi with roes. Compared to the past, the demand for amaebi has increased, as they are more often used in dishes such as sashimi, sushi, Italian, and French cuisine. Locals have a high expectation for “Fukui Amaebi” as well.
![Voyage for [Fukui Amaebi], the Future of Fishermen | Part 1](https://rimage.savorjapan.com/svj/image/discover_oishii_japan/1553/article_142762_w640z.jpg)
From trade to a fishery, residents in Mikuni lived strongly through the dynamic changes in the course of history. The future of fishing and the sea considered thoroughly by those who lived with them―such anticipation for the bright future is in this creamy and sweet “Fukui Amaebi.”
Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.
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Update-Date: Jun 3, 2025
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