Whitebait Fishing on Yoshino River

Midnight magical illumination across a grand river

Takako Sakamoto Sep 01, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>In mid-winter, high season for whitebait fishing, innumerable fishing boats spread out across the Yoshino river creating a dreamy scene. However, due to the declining number of whitebaits, the number of these 'dreamy nights' is declining, too</p>

<p>Fishing lamps, which have a strong beam like a search light, attract the glass eels</p>

<p>Glass eels swim up river on high tide. Fishermen take advantage of their attraction to strong lights</p>

<p>This fishing technique is most effective on dark nights, thus many fishing boats are seen on the river on the night of the new moon</p>

<p>Photographers can also expect a 'good catch' of magical photos on dark nights of the new moon</p>

<p>In mid-winter, the air is so cold that you can see the whites of fishermen's breath and boats' exhaust gas clearly. When standing on a bridge trying to take photos, I could feel the cold air crawling up from the river to my feet</p>

<p>I spotted a married couple fishing together on a boat!</p>

The Yoshino River is the largest river on Shikoku Island, running from the Tokushima plains through the Kii Channel. During the cold season from November to mid-April every year, innumerable whitebait fishing boats appear on the Yoshino. The magical view of many fish lamps illuminating the river at night is something to behold.

Whitebait fishing attempts to catch natural glass eels (eel fry) in order to cultivate them later. Tokushima's whitebait fishing is famous for its traditional techniques. When the tide changes from low to high, glass eels swim up river on high tide from the estuary. Fishermen, taking advantage of the glass eels' attraction to strong light, flash beams on the river surface from midnight to early morning (12 a.m. to 4 a.m) on the dark nights of the new moon. When these eels swim up near the river surface, the fishermen scoop them up. Of course, these magical beams not only attract the glass eels but us photographers, as well!

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...