Lake Towada Kokanee: The Cycle of Life
Setting Up the Wainai Hatchery
Wainai Sadayuki completed the Wainai Kokanee Hatchery at Oide in 1906, a year after the adult kokanee first returned in large numbers to the lake to spawn. Why did he choose this location? Because, of the roughly 70 streams that flow into Lake Towada, only the stream here has a constant low temperature of 8°C, similar to what the kokanee were used to in Hokkaido. Wainai’s hatchery subsequently expanded and stayed operational until 2002. The now abandoned ponds can be seen on the grounds of the present-day hatchery, just outside this building. [95]
The Lake Towada Hatchery
The Lake Towada Hatchery opened in 2002. Run by the Lake Towada Fishery Propagation Cooperative Union and equipped with the latest technology, the hatchery releases around 700,000 kokanee fry into the lake every year. The hatchery is proud to maintain Wainai Sadayuki’s legacy for future generations. [45]