Fukushima Supermarket Sells Red Salmon Raised by Land-Based Farming

Fukushima, July 21 (Jiji Press)--A supermarket in the northeastern Japan city of Fukushima Friday started selling sockeye salmon, also known as red salmon, raised by land-based farming as sashimi and sushi. This marked the world's first successful land-based aquaculture for red salmon, which is prone to diseases, according to Ichii, the operator of the supermarket. Red salmon cultivated by land-based farming is resistant to diseases or parasites, according to Ichii. "We'll be able to deliver fish that people don't have to think twice about eating in terms of safety," Ichii President Nobuhiro Ito said. "I'm delighted that I'll be able to enjoy raw red salmon without any worries about safety," a customer said. For the project, Ichii worked together with Okayama University of Science and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp. While it usually takes around four years for red salmon to grow into an adult ready to be shipped, special fish farm water developed by the university allows this period to be shortened to a year and a half. In a trial run, 200 of 1,000 juvenile red salmon grew to reach the ideal size to sell of around 50 centimeters, weighing around 1.2 kilograms. Over 60 pct of salmon and trout currently sold in Japan are imports from overseas. Prices have doubled from 2015 levels due to factors including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. END