【＃１１】「師匠！私を弟子にしてください」積丹町のブリ漁師に１日弟子入り～後編～（11月18日放送）

Becoming an Apprentice for a Day with a Shakotan Yellowtail Fisherman In last week's episode, I became an apprentice to Shota Yamazaki, a fixed-net fisherman off the coast of Mikuni, Shakotan Town, in western Hokkaido! I helped out with the yellowtail fishing season, which is currently at its peak. The brand name yellowtail, "Shihou," is caught in only one or two fish out of every 100. This premium product is carefully selected for its rich fat content and beautiful appearance. The yellowtail is killed on board the boat, "live-killing," which quickly removes the blood that causes the fishy smell. This "live-killing" process is also a prerequisite for being selected as a "Yokohama Yellowtail Treasure"! But...! Higashimine: "Ah! Master! I'm slipping! Master! I'm slipping! Ah!!" Yamazaki: "Hurry, hurry! There's another one! Okay, okay, okay! Okay, next! I'm covered in blood." Higashimine: "Ah, this is tough." Yamazaki: "I never thought I'd be fishing for yellowtail. They're heavy and they thrash around." Will they be able to overcome this harsh work!? Hard work on board & a luxurious breakfast Yamazaki: "Next, it'll be a little tingly. Are you okay?" Higashimine: "It's fine!" Yamazaki: "When this one is hauled up, I think the yellowtail will open its mouth. It's electrically charged. Try not to thrash around as much as possible." An electrically conducting mat is laid on this part of the deck, and a mild electric shock is used to calm the thrashing yellowtail. This prevents the yellowtail from overheating and maintains their freshness. Captain Yamazaki Toshiyuki, my master's father: "Is the electricity OK?" Yamazaki: "Put your hand under the gills." Azuma: "Ah! It's tingling!" Yamazaki: "Take it, put it in the gills!" Azuma: "Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Yamazaki: "Do your best, all by yourself!" Azuma: "Ah! Wait, wait!" Yamazaki: "Preserve them alive! The whole process is complete. Then we'll go and select them again." As the sky began to lighten... The fishing ended about two and a half hours after setting sail. Yamazaki: "Even with all that preserving, we only got a few 'treasure yellowtails.'" Azuma: "There were loads, but not all of them will become 'treasure yellowtails,' right?" Yamazaki: "Absolutely not. We still have a lot of work to do up the hill, so let's do our best!" We had a brief rest before returning to the fishing port. Azuma: "What a luxurious breakfast!" Yamazaki: "Grilled salted yellowtail, sashimi, and Genghis Khan." Azuma: "Let's eat! Yes! It's so delicious! Sweet! Ah, I'm so happy." The "Yellowtail Treasure" is rigorously selected by the Fisheries Cooperative Staff. We arrived at Furubira Fishing Port at 6:45 AM. While it wasn't a huge catch that day, we still managed to land about 22 tons, or nearly 1,000 yellowtail. Of course, there were some potential yellowtail treasures! Azuma: "We just caught some that looked like they might be yellowtail treasures and then preserved them alive." Yellowtail that are potential yellowtail treasures are rigorously selected by the Fisheries Cooperative Staff. Yellowtail that are preserved alive on board must weigh over 7 kg and have a body fat percentage of over 15%. And more... Koike, Manager of the Higashi Shakotan Fisheries Cooperative: "Their bodies have a beautiful color and luster. If even a single scale comes off, we throw them away." Azumamine: "Does the taste of the Yellowtail Treasure differ from other yellowtail?" Koike, Manager of the Higashi Shakotan Fisheries Cooperative: "Oh, absolutely! It's amazing!" Azumamine: "Look! This is the Yellowtail Treasure!" Only those in perfect condition are individually tagged and shipped as "Yellowtail Treasure." Only the "selected yellowtail" are allowed to bear the name! But there's still more work to be done! Sorting the yellowtail by hand Azumamine: "Master, what is this task?" Yamazaki: "Sorting the yellowtail by size. I'd like you to catch 6kg." The approximately 22 tons of yellowtail that were caught are sorted by weight by hand. Azuma: "Do we need to measure this?" Yamazaki: "You can pretty much tell by looking at it." Azuma: "Here we go! Wow! It's heavy!" Yamazaki: "But it's not much heavier than live-preserved yellowtail." Azuma: "Yes. I just held something heavy, so it feels light." At its peak, the catch weighs about 40 tons. A whopping 2,000 yellowtails are landed. This work continues for several hours. Crew member: "My apprentices have to work hard!" Azuma: "I'll do my best!" Crew member: "We need them to come every day." Yamazaki: "Here we go! Hurry, hurry! This one, this one! There are so many!" Azuma: "Ah, so many! So many!" And then there's the task of carrying yellowtail packed in styrofoam! Crew member: "12!" Yamazaki: "Yes! 12! Stack them on top." Azuma: "Ah!" The styrofoam, ice, and yellowtail all weigh about 15 kg. Announcer Higashimine: "It's heavy! Really heavy!" Yamazaki: "OK." Announcer Higashimine: "Thanks for your hard work. We have a huge amount...