Photo= Attendees sample Ine Salmon sashimi (municipal health center, Hide, Ine-cho)

To promote salmon as a new local specialty of Ine-cho, Kyoto Prefecture, an event showcasing "Ine Salmon," organized by JF Kyoto, or Japan Fisheries Cooperatives of Kyoto Prefecture, and fish farmers in the town, was held at the municipal health center in Hide, Ine-cho, on April 25. Attendees sampled vividly pink salmon fillets and exchanged opinions.

With an eye on the popularity of salmon among young people and foreigners, it was decided to promote safe and secure salmon produced in Kyoto Prefecture in order to boost fish farmers in the prefecture. The number of fish farmers had declined to six by 2015 due to depreciating fish prices and other reasons.

Supported by a prefectural fund to promote cooperation between agriculture, industry and commerce, "Hashimoto Fishery" in Ine-cho purchased approximately 1,000 rainbow trout fry from a supplier in Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture, and has farmed them in the fish preserves in Ine Bay since last fall.

On the day of the event, people connected with the project from municipal governments of neighboring communities and others sampled sashimi. They said, "It is fatty, tender and delicious," "I think that inbound international tourists will also enjoy it," and so on. Hiromu Hashimoto, who works in salmon farming, said, "I want to continue striving for a better taste and to establish it commercially as a new brand-name product of Tango."