Sakuramasu - 2012/06/09 - Come Back Home to your River

Sakuramasu - Come Back Home to your River!

Jun. 9, Sat.
0:10/ 4:10/ 8:10/ 12:10/
16:10/ 20:10 (UTC)

A documentary on restoration of a Japanese river. Sakuramasu (Cherry Salmon) is the symbolic figure of the revival.
In Eiheiji River of Fukui prefecture in Hokuriku district, running of Sakuramasu and their spawning have long been disrupted by the flood countermeasure dams constructed 40 years ago. Since 2008, local volunteers began their activity to call back the Sakuramasu by building fishways, and their effort finally fruited in their spawning upstream. Our crew followed the restoration process for 3 years.

*Angler group 'Sakuramasu Restoration'
Dying to see Sakuramasu for once. Desire to catch this rare fish drew the anglers' attention to the environment of Sakuramasu's habitat, Kuzuryu River, and formed a group 'Sakuramasu Restoration' to bring back the main stream Kuzuryu River full of Sakuramasu like the former years. To realize this goal, the environment of their spawning site Eiheiji River needed improvement. Replacing their fishing rods to shovels, anglers began forming the egg laying sites.

*Locals rediscover the charm
Local residents also launched their restoration activity. The seniors in their 60s who grew up playing in Eiheiji River formed the group, 'Bringing Back Salmon and Sakuramasu to Run Eiheiji River'. Eiheiji River back in their childhood was in its natural form with neither dams nor bank protection, bountiful of Sakuramasu and salmon. The members took to reforming the river so the Sakuramasu could swim further upstream. Their driving force was clear and simple. Restore the river as in their memories, and hand it down to the future generation.

*Gift from returned Sakuramasu, for the first time in 40 years
Many dams are placed in Eiheiji River as flood countermeasure, but at the same time they became an impediment for the living creatures of the river, such as Sakuramasu running upstream. The members of both 'Bringing Back Salmon and Sakuramasu to Run Eiheiji River' and 'Sakuramasu Restoration' joined to build fishways, and bring back the bountiful river with safe and hospitable environment for the living creatures. With the cooperation of the locals, anglers and the public administration, fishways in 3 dams were completed by spring 2010, and spawning of Sakuramasu in upstream sites realized for the first time in almost 40 years.

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This video has no dropped frames so has been marked as CFR by removing the timecodes. It will play on the PS3.

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part 1 of 2: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2nzv366pdu3osz0

part 2 of 2: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zhik47wdbhaoedb