The Firefly Squid of Toyama Bay

WATASENIA SCINTILLANS or THE FIREFLY Squid, is only 3 inches long, but packs a stunning feature in that small package. At the end of their tentacles are special organs called photophores that light up like glow sticks at a rave. In the Toyama Bay, in the central Japan Sea, the squid are found in fantastic abundance. Normally living at 1200 feet underwater, a v shaped canyon in Toyama bay pushes the current, and the squid, to the surface in massive numbers where, forced up, the millions of squids turn the bay into a writhing, gleaming blue froth.

Fished by the ton from March to June, when the fishing boats dump the nets onto the boat floor the squirming squids light up and turn the boats themselves into blue beacons. Thankfully, for the curious visitors, one need not sign up to work on a Japanese fishing-boat tour to see the phenomenon. Sightseeing boats depart from the Namerikawa fishing port around 3am to see the nets 1 to 2 km offshore.It should be noted that Namerikawa is also home to the world’s only museum dedicated to the firefly squid.

The firefly squid is basically living underwater about 1200 feet. The waves of the bay push them on the surface. They are in abundance from March till June and the particular period is also known as the spawning season. There are millions of squid that migrate to this place where they come and drop their eggs to fertilize. The coming together of the squids is said to be one big light show that you can admire.  This is the reason why thousands of tourists flock the area just to see this event. During this event, other sea creatures and sea birds enjoy eating the decaying body of some squid. This is also considered as a local delicacy in Japan. Early in the dawn, there are boats that leave the fishing port of Namerikawa. This is also the home of the museum that is dedicated to these creatures. There nets are located two kilometers from the shoreline. When the fishermen gather their nets, the light emitted from the squid causes the surface of the sea to turn blue and a lot of tourists are waiting with their cameras for this event.

The lights from great number of the firefly squids are flashing in unison as they are also creating beautiful patterns. According to scientists, the light show serves a lot of purposes; one is the fact that they can be used as a form of communicating with others. It is being used by squids to escape from predators. It also believed that squids use the light so they can attract their prey. They can flash the light on and off. The small fish will be attracted and they will pounce on them using their tentacles. If you are planning to visit Japan, take time to visit the Toyama Bay. You can also taste the delicious squid with vinegar and miso.