Ajime-dojo (Niwaella delicata)

[Jim Powers]

This is probably more accurate. Its certainly more typical of Pacific salmon.

Like other Pacific salmon, its life cycle is subdivided into marine and freshwater periods; in rivers, this species lives from 1 to 3 years and can form living fresh-water forms. The sea life cycle, depending on the age of the young, continues for 2 to 3.5 years. In the sea, the seema feeds intensely on crustaceans, less often on young fish. On attaining sexual maturity, in its third to seventh years of life it enters rivers to spawn. Its spawning run starts earlier than that of other salmon species.

After spawning, most passing fish die, and those that remain alive (preferentially dwarf males) participate in spawning next year, too. Emerging from the nest, the young do not roll into the sea but remain in spawning areas, in the upper reaches of rivers, and on shallows with weak currents. The young move to pools and rolls of the river core to feed on chironomid, stone fly and may fly larvae, and on air insects. The seema rolls into the sea in its second, occasionally even third year of life.

[bigpow]

And here's a traditional dance to go with it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUALuGno6Go

[Emma Turner]

Awesome photographs, odyssey! Thanks so much for sharing them with us.

Emma

[odyssey]

Hi Jim and Gary.
There are three subspecies of Oncorhynchus masou in Japan.
http://www.itow.com/amago/trout/amago.html

Oncorhynchus masou masou is called "Yamame". The meaning of words is "lady of mountain".
"Yamame" is distributed most widely.
"Yamame" does not have the orange spot unlike "Amago".
The individual which fell down to the sea grows big and is called "Sakura-masu".
The meaning is "Trout of cherry blossom".
http://k-bullet.com/team-k.bullet/sakur ... /sa01.html
............................(Only the fifth picture is a rainbow trout)
http://blog.streamsence.secret.jp/?eid=194630

Oncorhynchus masou ishikawai is called "Amago". The meaning of words is "child of rain".
"Amago" is distributed over West Japan.
"Amago" has a special orange spot.
The individual which fell down to the sea grows big and is called "Satsuki-masu".
The meaning is "Trout of May".
http://shigeshigemisaki.naturum.ne.jp/e728254.html
http://www.geocities.jp/tenkarakimura/a ... an04-4.htm

"Yamame"and "Amago" which fell down to the sea grows big and goes up for laying eggs in a river only once and dies.
On the other hand, "Yamame"and "Amago" left in the river is a small body, but lays eggs several times.

Oncorhynchus masou rhodurus is "Biwa-masu"
"Biwa-masu" is an endemic species of Lake Biwa-ko.
It goes up for laying eggs in the inflow river from Lake Biwa-ko for from September to November.
Because land seal period was long, seawater tolerance is lost.
http://www.bbox.biwakokasen.go.jp/mzBBO ... 00195.html

Hi bigpow.
The dance is movement when old people scoop a weather loach(Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) from a rice field.

It is difficult to capture "Ajime-dojo" inhabiting the mountain stream by such a method.
People use a trap for those capture.
http://www.kumanolife.com/Wind/data/1028300721.1.JPG
"Ajime-dojo" is a meaning called a loach tasty beautifully. Probably Niwaella delicata of the scientific name is such a meaning, too.
Because there are few numbers, it is rarely eaten with haute cuisine.

[bigpow]

odyssey-san, sugoi website links
thank you

[Jim Powers]

Thanks for the links!!
Its great to see a stream that is the home to two of my favorite kind of fish, loaches and trout.

[Graeme Robson]

Superb stuff!!