What is shirauo in sushi?白魚
This time, I looked into the various names and seasons for sushi shirauo.
How to call shirauo
【shirauo】whitebait, icefish シラウオ 白魚
White fish are small fish with a body length of only about 10 cm. The name “white fish” comes from the fact that it turns white when it dies. When alive, they are characterized by an almost translucent color. There are many local names for white fish, such as Shirao in Hokkaido and Shirouo in Wakayama Prefecture, but they are actually different species. Other names include “Cattle Egret,” “Suberi,” and “Mesogori.”
The peak season for shirauo
The season for whitefish is generally from winter to spring, especially from February to April. Whitefish live along the coasts all over Japan, and they come up to the rivers in early spring to spawn, so this is when they are in season.
The main producing areas include Lake Ogawara in Aomori Prefecture, Kasumigaura in Ibaraki Prefecture, Lake Abashiri in Hokkaido, and Lake Shinji in Shimane Prefecture. Since the season differs depending on the region, we will introduce the fishing season in each region.
At Lake Ogawara in Aomori Prefecture, whitefish are landed during the fall fishing from September to March and the spring fishing from April to June. The season is when spring fishing is carried out, but it seems that it is distributed during autumn fishing.
In Kasumigaura, Ibaraki Prefecture, the season is from late July, when fishing is allowed, to December.
Most of the whitefish caught in Hokkaido come from Lake Abashiri, and their best season is from September to October, when fishing takes place.
Whitefish fishing at Lake Shinji in Shimane Prefecture is carried out from mid-November to May.
