【Reading】はたはた

【English Name】Sandfish

The hatahata (sailfin sandfish) is a fish classified in the family Trichodontidae of the order Perciformes, known as the prefectural fish of Akita Prefecture. It reaches a maximum body length of about 20 cm and lives roughly 5 years. It has no scales and a laterally flattened body. Lacking a swim bladder, it is a deep-water fish that usually hides in the sandy mud of the seabed.

Its range is the northwestern Pacific centered on the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, and within Japan, Akita, Tottori, and Hyogo are the main landing areas. In Akita, the "seasonal hatahata" that approaches the coast to spawn in November-December is famous, landed bearing eggs. In Tottori and Hyogo, on the other hand, individuals migrating in deep water are caught by bottom trawl, so they bear no eggs but are rich in fat, and the fishing season is also long, from about September to May.

The cooking variations are abundant—salt-grilling, dried fish, dengaku, and izushi (fermented sushi). Because it has no scales and few small bones, it has been valued as a fish easy to cook whole. It is also indispensable as the raw material for Akita's traditional fish sauce "shottsuru," and shottsuru nabe is one of the local dishes representing winter. The roe is familiar under the name "buriko," and when heated it offers a distinctive popping texture.

It is not common as a sushi topping, but Tottori Prefecture has a local sushi called "shirohata-zushi" made with vinegared hatahata and okara (soy pulp). In recent years declines in catch have been reported in various areas, and efforts toward resource conservation are advancing in each region.