Harvest and cultivation of Saccharina japonica in Northern Hokkaido, Japan, and southern Sakhalin and Primorye, Russia: A review

Abstract

History, catch, gear, propagation of resources in the wild, cultivation, and utilization of the kelp Saccharina japonica in northern Hokkaido, Japan, and southern Sakhalin and Primorye, Russia are compared in this review of the fisheries in these areas. Sea currents (especially, warm currents) commonly affect the occurrence and production of this kelp in those regions. Techniques in propagation of S. japonica in the wild and by cultivation has been developed in both Hokkaido and Primorye. The total annual amount of harvest and season were regulated in fisheries in Sakhalin, though only season of the harvest is regulated in Hokkaido. Harvest and cultivation of kelp in three regions have many similarities.