Shiretoko

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NHK World Heritage 100 Series (en anglais)

Texte narratif (en anglais)

In Hokkaido the sea of Okhotsk starts freezing from the north and ice floes drift into Shiretoko. The Shiretoko peninsula juts into the sea and collects drifting sea ice brought in by sea currents and the north wind. How could sea water freeze? Water here is diluted by the freshwater from the Amura River in Russia. The Amura is the largest river in north-east Eurasia. The river basin stretches across a large forested area. The river water is rich in nutrients from the forest.

In the spring the sea ice, known as "the Cradle of Life", starts melting. Once it does that, the nutrients inside disperse into the sea then small shrimp-like Mysids feed on them and greatly increase in number. Mysids are a popular food for fish. But the water temperature is still low. Wolfish are still inactive. Fringed bennies look sleepy. As the water temperature rises, the fight for existence begins. A Crab is trying to eat a baby Giant Pacific Octopus. This octopus could grow up to 3 meters in length. Every winter, shoals of Walleye Pollack stay under the ice. Atoka mackerel look for planktons 300 meters below the surface. When the ice melts, smooth lump suckers rise up from the depths to spawn in the nutrient rich shallows. It is the male fish’s role to hatch the eggs. They have to keep sending fresh seawater to their eggs, and cannot eat anything for a month during the procedure.

A Squid from the Gonatidae family: they also come up from deep sea in the spring. Large ones can measure a meter in length. Between their tentacles is what looks like lace. It is here where they store their eggs. The baby squid hatch while their parents swim around. There is a cycle of life and death. The ice floes are the key source of rich sea life around Shiretoko.