Japanese fishermen head off to Russian waters to gather kelp

KUSHIRO, Japan - A fleet of Japanese fishing boats head toward the Russian-held Kaigara island off northeastern Hokkaido on June 1 to gather kelp, a giant seaweed extensively used in Japanese cooking. Sent off by their families who gathered at Cape Nosappu, about 250 Hokkaido fishing boats set off for the kelp grounds, about 3.7 kilometers away from Nosappu. Japanese fishermen paid 97.6 million yen to Russian authorities this year for the kelp-gathering rights. The amount of kelp to be gathered this season is set at 4,000 tons.