According to the Saga Prefectural Fisheries Promotion Center, the number of endangered mudskippers in the Ariake Sea was confirmed to be 7.7 times that of the number recorded 17 years ago. Mudskippers live in tidal flats and are only found in two places in Japan: the Ariake Sea and the Yatsushiro Sea, both of which are in Kyushu. Mudskippers used to be a delicacy in Saga, served grilled or stewed in sugar and soy sauce. Mudskipper harvests peaked in 1964 at 216 tons, and declined until they reached their lowest point, 2 tons, in 1988. An 11-ton harvest was recorded in 2006, but mudskippers were red listed by the Ministry of the Environment in 2007 in anticipation of their scheduled designation as a “Type 1B” threatened species. The survey conducted in August 2012 counted mudskippers in 76 locations off the Saga coast and found an average of 14.6 creatures per m2, or 7.7 times more than the 1.9 recorded in August 1995. A Center official was quoted as saying, “Our efforts, including establishing a protected zone and banning the harvest of mudskippers, seem to be paying off.” Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, June 7
