LOVE Sanuki's report

No. 82 Olive Salmon

One of the major projects of Yoshimoto, "A project to live in your town", to make Japan feel good from the area. Entertainer "Kaji Tsuyoshi" who lives in Kagawa reports on local products.

A new olive brand fish from Kagawa Prefecture is born! Its name is "Olive Salmon".
Mr. Kaji visited Hattori Suisan in Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture, which farms olive salmon.

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  Branding Olive Salmon in 2024

  Olive salmon is farmed from winter to spring at Adoike Pond in Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture.
  Ado Pond is the place where Japan's first yellowtail cultivation was successful. Here, Hidetoshi Hattori of Hattori Suisan, who farms olive salmon, told us about the difficulties and ingenuity involved in farming olive salmon.

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  Salmon farming takes advantage of low winter water temperatures

  Salmon farming is often carried out in cold regions such as Tohoku, but it is also possible to farm salmon in the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan, where the water temperature drops in the winter.

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  Olive yellowtail, which is representative of Kagawa Prefecture's aquaculture, prefers warm waters, so they are finished landing in January before the water temperature drops. Salmon are then farmed when the water temperature is low. In other words, they are cultivated throughout the year, similar to double cropping in agriculture.

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  Careful feeding using a combination of manual labor and machinery

  For the first shipment in 2024, we fed them a diet of sardine and other fish meal mixed with olive leaf powder for 30 days. The ratio of olive leaves to the total weight of food is approximately 2%. The size of the salmon tends to vary, so we try to make sure it's evenly eaten by either doing it by hand or using a machine while watching how it bites. “We are currently researching how long it will take effect in an efficient manner so that olive leaves are not wasted,” says Hattori.

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  Trial and error in salmon farming

  Yellowtail farming in Kagawa Prefecture has a history of about 100 years, and Mr. Hattori has been involved in the farming industry for many years, taking over from his predecessor. Even with Hattori's know-how, farming salmon was difficult.
  To farm salmon, we first ask a producer to raise the fry to a size of 500g, and then transfer them to the sea to raise them. At that time, a certain amount of young fish will die from shock. In order to reduce this percentage, Mr. Hattori has conducted research on selecting strains, such as selecting strains that have the tendency to descend to the sea (sea-falling rainbow trout).

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  Also, when we started farming, we purchased fry from Nagano, Fukushima, and Yamagata, but transporting them from such a distance would be expensive and stress the fry. Therefore, Mr. Hattori is also developing producers in Shikoku.
  Looking ahead, Mr. Hattori said, ``In the future, I would like to be able to farm young fish within Kagawa Prefecture.If it is nearby, it will be easier to go and see the fry, and transportation costs will be reduced.''

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  From landing to shipping, freshness comes first.

  The fry, which weighed about 12g in December, will grow to 500-5kg in about 1.5 months. We started landing the fish in early April in response to orders from supermarkets and department stores. The landing period is approximately two months from early April to mid-May. A net is placed in the fish trap to attract fish, and then scooped out 2 to 4 fish at a time using a landing net.

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  Immediately make ikejime on board and cool in ice water. This is to ensure that the product can be shipped while remaining fresh. Once at the port, the fish are sorted and processed according to size, and then shipped.

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  Olive salmon is recommended to be eaten raw.

  Mr. Hattori prepared carpaccio using olive salmon. The bright colors make this a spring-like item.
  ``The effect of adding olive leaves increases the amount of collagen, which improves the texture,'' says Mr. Hattori, introducing his top tips. Mr. Kaji immediately takes it to his mouth. "It's delicious. I like the crispy texture. It's fatty, but not greasy," he said, liking it.
  Food provided by: Chef Irie of the Italian restaurant “Sosogu Sochu” in Mitoyo City, Kagawa Prefecture

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  ``We adjust the amount of fat to an appropriate level by feeding them high-quality protein feed.We utilize the know-how we have cultivated through yellowtail farming in the formulation of salmon feed,'' explains Mr. Hattori, explaining his particularity. He gave it to me. It has a good texture, so it is suitable for eating raw, but grilled with salt or grilled with chanchan is also recommended.

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  ``We now have olive yellowtail, olive red sea bream, and olive salmon, as well as the olive series.'' Mr. Kaji was very impressed after seeing the three brands of fish from Kagawa.
  "Salmon is a fish that is popular among health-conscious people and as a sushi ingredient, and the market is expected to continue to grow. We want to further improve the quality, increase shipping volume, and make Kagawa's signature fish over the next five to 5 years."
  Mr. Hattori talked about his hope that by having many people eat olive salmon, he would be able to encourage young people to pursue their dreams in the aquaculture industry.

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Past reports

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  34th pear

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  4th Food Expo 2011

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  70th White Miso

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  The 45th Mitoyo Eggplant