Salmon prices are soaring in Japan due to dwindling populations in the country’s waters, and climate change is the culprit.
What’s happening?
As detailed by Japan Today, a researcher determined that chum salmon in the northern district of Hokkaido have been forced “into a losing battle with a relative for food” due to ongoing climate change, which is hindering their return to the rivers where they were originally released.
The Hokkaido government revealed that salmon numbers dropped from a peak of 56.47 million in 2003 to 15.62 million in 2024, the second-lowest figure on record since 1989. The gradual population decline has led to a spike in salmon prices among retailers, with the…