![]() ![]() His colleague reported seeing the spawning behavior himself and confirmed that he thought it was a Torquigener, but he was not familiar with the species. He intends to revisit the island during the next spawning season in hopes of making an identification. Jack Randall who in turn asked a Japanese colleague who works on pufferfish about the identity of this puffer. In only 80 feet of water, how did such a creation go unreported until now? What species of fish is making this nest? Though not identified in the photos, the puffer appears to be in the genus Torquigener. Intriguing questions arise from this discovery by Youji Ookata, a passionate Japanese underwater photographer who has spent over 50 years exploring the ocean. This pufferfish appears to be a member of the genus Torquigener, but its species name is unknown at this time. I think marine fish farming using chloride springs or artificial seawater … will spread in the future,” Kaneko said.Photo by Youji Ookata. “On-shore aquaculture has a low risk of natural disasters. Kaneko believes Noguchi’s project is a great model going forward. Some 18 farms have cropped up nationwide. Now, Noguchi’s company visits hot spring resorts around the country to promote tiger puffer farming. The taste of the fish improved, a result of the amino acids infused in its muscle tissue with the sudden increase in salinity. Prior to shipping, he transferred his tiger puffers from the hot springs to pools with water containing the same salt concentration as seawater. Toyoji Kaneko, a University of Tokyo professor specializing in fish physiology, told Noguchi that tiger puffer fish living in hot spring water do not burn calories to adjust the salt content in their bodies, and there is no winter chill to slow their growth.īased on Kaneko’s theory, Noguchi also conducted research to improve the flavor of his fish. While fish from sea farms take 1½ years to be market-ready, those grown in the hot springs reached market size in a year. Tiger puffers he raised in water from a chloride spring grew faster than those raised in artificial seawater. As he researched the composition of the hot springs’ water, he found that it contained sodium and potassium, and a salt concentration of about 1.2%, leading him to believe that the elements were right for saltwater fish to be cultivated in the hot spring water. President Katsuaki Noguchi focused on the prefecture’s abundant chloride springs as a resource to develop the region, while running an environmental consulting firm in the prefecture. The company currently sells 25 tons of puffer fish a year to about 150 stores, mainly in the prefecture. Nasukarasuyama-based company Yumesozo, which cultivates the tiger puffer in water from a hot spring, launched its business in the neighboring town of Nakagawa about 10 years ago. In the pools, tiger puffers, which grow to nearly 14 inches and weigh in at just over 2 pounds, swim leisurely. The initial effort assembled pools in plastic greenhouses on a former swimming-pool site in Nasukarasuyama, Tochigi Prefecture. The first puffer fish cultivation project began in Tochigi Prefecture and has spread to other areas in Japan. TOKYO > Making use of local hot springs, expensive tiger puffer fish are being cultivated inland, helping to revitalize local economies.
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