There is no better way to understand the impact of climate change in a particular place than to go and talk to the people who are in the front line when it comes to the natural world. So it is that at Lake Saroma that we speak to the oldest generation of fishermen. The men are around 80 years old.

Environmental protection, improving the environment, can be a hard road.

We love Hokkaido, our name for it is butterfly island – so many butterflies drifting silently in Hokkaido soft summer air. It always reminds us of Kent, when we look at the meadow plants at our feet we know we are at home.

Lake Saroma (Hokkaido) is the third largest lake in Japan. Its waters are brackish and the lake is shallow. It is separated from the Sea of Okhotsk by a sandbar.

When the balance of things is destroyed

The changes the fishermen talk about are numerous and these changes have now combined to create a number of issues in both Lake Saroma and the adjoining Sea of Okhotsk.

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For the Sea of Okhotsk, global warming means the species available to the fisherman have changed as the cold-water fish are driven north and warmer water fish species move into the region. In winter the sea ice is now a lot thinner and the fisherman worry about this a lot. Greater danger from bad weather including the increasing number of typhoons is a growing problem as is the economic damage they deliver. One of the commercial aspects of this is the increase in competition and the pressure it puts on fish populations. That is, access is now much faster, because you can go through the thin ice to fish and do so from a far greater distance.

For Lake Saroma, the growth of agriculture in the region has meant that run off from farmland, particularly fertilisers and pesticides have had a very serious impact on the lake’s water quality. Added to this problem, the combination of engineering works along river banks (a bad habit in Japan which means concreting in the river banks) and much heavier climate change related rainfall means that the river flow is far faster and there is an enormous increase in the amount of sediment washed into the lake along with the agricultural chemicals.

So the result is the water plants die, as does some of the lake life, shellfish etc. These changes have meant that a new channel has been cut into the Sea of Okhotsk to improve the circulation of the water in the lake. This again begins to alter the ecology of the region, not to mention adding additional expense to maintain the opening and blocking out sea ice during the winter.

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What to do?

There has been a great deal of discussion about the possibility of nominating Lake Saroma as a Ramsar site. This is where the situation becomes interesting. In the way of these things, and Japan is no different to Australia in this regard, there is resistance to environmental protection and many of the locals believe that, if such a nomination was successful, then there would be more restrictions on what they can and can’t do. The restrictions of course are already imposed by the decline in the environment and the livelihoods that go with it.

Not backing the Ramsar nomination and not attempting associated restoration of water quality and other environmental improvements, is now regarded by at least some of the locals, as a mistake. The issue is that a Ramsar listing, because it would encourage improved management of the whole lake system, would help create a more sustainable future for the scallop industry that has flourished here.

The older generations of fishermen have made their fortunes here. They worry about the next generation and their attitudes and understanding of the situation that is unfolding.

The scallop take at sea (it is seeded by the fisherman who grow the young scallops in the lake) has now reduced significantly, but the price has increased substantially. So far, the financial balance has been maintained. It is the aspect of nothing changing and lessons not being learnt that appears to worry the older generation of fishermen.

‍In the discussion with Yasuyuki Takahashi we talk (in Japanese) about the issues surrounding environment and the sustainability of current practices.

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Yasuyuki Takahashi is the third generation of local fisherman, he is 80 years old, his son, the fourth generation, now carries on the business. Yasuyuki Takahashi was a keen advocate of making Lake Saroma a Ramsar site and received some local criticism for doing so. People now typically (but silently so) acknowledge the common sense of his proposed pathway to the future.

A brief summary of what Yasuyuki Takahashi is saying:

Lake Saroma is a treasure and has many rich resources. He feels that Ramsar was the way to go to protect the lake and ensure its sustainability but some people had other ideas. These people would say what is old Takahashi doing? The Ramsar Centre and various academics were happy to advocate the idea that Lake Saroma should become a Ramsar site. Certain people in the community were however very much against it as they felt there would be certain restrictions and tight regulation stopping them doing what they do. So there was a lot of opposition and the result was that proposal did not go through.

In the Japanese way of these things people now quietly know they have been wrong. They know there are problems with the lake system but they just don’t say it.

Yasuyuki Takahashi feels that if this is the situation and he is getting old he feels that maybe we have to wait one more generation for change to occur and the next generation to decide on their fate rather than getting nowhere.

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Yasuyuki Takahashi also feels that when he looks at the fourth generation of fishermen who he says are thinking, well if now is still okay, not much point in making any changes. It is alright, so let it be. These are very complacent types of ideas and this is regrettable. He suspects that the only way there will be some sort of progress towards a more sustainable future is if the government gets involved, but for this to occur there must be some leadership.

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