Local Fishermen Feel Impact of Forest Fires in Iwate Prefecture; Sea Urchin Season Delayed

By Kenshin Yamagishi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

17:13 JST, April 27, 2026

OTSUCHI, Iwate — The prolonged forest fires in the town of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, are starting to impact its fishing industry, a key pillar of the regional economy.

The sea urchin season, which was originally scheduled to begin Monday, has been postponed. Many people engaged in the business are currently taking refuge at evacuation shelters, with others assisting firefighting efforts as volunteer firefighters. With no clear timeline for the resumption of fishing, people in the industry are growing increasingly frustrated.

“While the containing the fires takes priority, I can’t help but wonder when I can start fishing,” said Shigeki Fujiwara, a 67-year-old fisherman from the town’s Kirikiri district.

The town’s sea urchin season normally starts in late April and runs through around August, and it is a big source of revenue for the fishermen.

During the season, Fujiwara and his wife normally ship 3 to 4 kilograms of sea urchin meat for sale daily. Fujiwara’s sea urchins have earned a good reputation for their rich taste.

As the price of sea urchins has been increasing in recent years, the postponement of the catching season would certainly be a blow to Fujiwara. “I can’t help that the catching season is delayed, but the more it is delayed, the more my revenue will be affected,” Fujiwara said.

One of the forest fires almost reached his home, and Fujiwara moved nets and cages used to catch sea urchins to a relative’s house on Friday. He also had his family take refuge at his wife’s parent’s home to wait for the fires to be brought under control.

“I’m uneasy as the direction the fire spreads depends on the direction of the wind. I hope the wind just stops blowing,” Fujiwara said.

Burning spots visualized

The Yomiuri Shimbun

A professor at the University of Tokyo has created a 3D map that shows the spread of the fires in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture. He has launched a website (https://otsuchi.mapping.jp) where the map can be viewed.

Prof. Hidenori Watanabe created the map based on satellite data of heat sources available from NASA. An expert on information design, he has incorporated the heat source data as well as other data such as wind speed and direction on the map. With the wind option toggled on, direction is shown using arrows, with the speed also displayed.

The timeline begins on Wednesday afternoon, and heat sources are shown by dots. The dots start red and gradually fade to yellow, clearly showing the progression of the blazes. It shows that the forest fires have mainly been spreading during the night.

“Since changes to the burning areas and wind direction can be tracked, the map can be used to predict where the fires will spread,” Watanabe said.