Shizuoka's food cultureKnow

Dolphin fishing in Shizuoka Prefecture has mainly taken place in the Izu region.

The bays off the coast of the Izu Peninsula are on the migration route of dolphins, and the peninsula's complex topography makes it ideal for drive fishing, in which dolphins are chased and captured.

Dolphin bones have been excavated from Jomon period ruins, and there are records of dolphin fishing being practiced in the Middle Ages and early modern times, which shows that dolphin fishing has been practiced since ancient times.

Since the Meiji period, dolphins caught in Izu have been sold to other areas within the prefecture, as well as in Aichi, Gifu, and Yamanashi prefectures.

Currently, the Ito Fisheries Cooperative (Ito City, Futo Fishing Port) is the only association in the prefecture that continues the dolphin drive hunt. However, due to increased dolphin protection and conservation efforts both at home and abroad, as well as restrictions on the species and numbers that can be caught, the hunt has been discontinued since 2004.

However, drive fishing has been allowed since 2019, but only for the purpose of capturing them for breeding purposes.

"Dolphin miso stew" is a traditional local dish of Izu. When dolphin meat was sold on a plate at fish shops, dolphin meat was fried with burdock, carrots, konjac, etc., and seasoned with sake, soy sauce, sugar, and miso, and was served on the daily dinner table of ordinary households.

Ingredients used 

Dolphin, burdock, miso

How to eat

Dolphin meat is cut into bite-sized pieces and the fat is fried first. Burdock is added and fried further, then seasoned with sake, soy sauce, sugar, and miso. Some households also add carrots and konnyaku in addition to burdock.

Dolphin meat was also cut into 2cm thick pieces, soaked in soy sauce, and dried in the sun to make "tare," which was eaten as a snack with sake.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Our local cuisine）