This fall, a salmon migrating upstream was caught for the first time in the Makikawa River, a tributary of the Yura River in Kamiatsuma, Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture. While the number of salmon migrating upstream is said to be low nationwide this year, fishermen were delighted to see the robust figure of the salmon returning from the sea to their home river.

Salmon that grew in the sea and returned to their home river (Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto Prefecture)

The Yura River Salmon Environmental Conservation Executive Committee, made up of residents of the river basin and people involved in aquaculture, is working on artificial hatching and release of the salmon. The capture net was set on October 28, 2025.

On the morning of November 7, a male salmon was caught in the net. It had a red pattern typical of the breeding season and was 68 centimeters long. By 10:00 a.m. on November 8, a total of five males had been caught in the net. The upstream migration is expected to continue until the end of November.

The executive committee will hatch eggs from the caught salmon and release the fry into the river in mid-March 2026.