In late August, the Shiretoko Peninsula sees the return of the Pink salmon. However, due to a lack of rainfall, the rivers are too shallow for the salmon to swim upstream. As a result, the fish gather along the shore, in the sea, near the mouth of the river.
This is where the Rausu fishermen set up their nets, as do the brown bears, in the same area. This is the time of year when the brown bears are the most hungry and thinnest. The bears will venture into the ocean to catch the pink salmon that cannot enter the river.
This is the scene near “Pekin-no-hana”, on Shiretoko Pennisula with the fishing brown bear. It is like the White-tailed eagle is sitting just behind the bear, as if saying “Hurry up and catch something!” As the bear heads into the ocean…
A bear in the sea water.
The bear dunks its head into the water over and over, while swimming, to look for the Pink salmon underfoot.
It caught a female Pink salmon!
The roe, fish eggs, started overflowing with every bite.
It is probably too tiring to keep swimming while eating, so the bear heads back to the beach. It was there for a while, munching on the salmon with its backside facing us. After finishing off the main parts, the bear heads back into the sea for another round.
The White-tailed eagle quickly moves in to secure the leftover food. Then the crows move in for some leftovers too.
Then, just when we thought this bear would return to fishing, it got distracted and started playing with the net buoys! This must have been a young bear that was still holding on to its playful nature. Our customers who were with us, really enjoyed watching the fun-loving cute bear.
Eventually, it tired of playing and returned to the beach. It was a lovely chance to catch the last moments of summer with the brown bear.
Photography & text : Mariko SAWADA
Special Thanks : Mr.Kokichi TENJIN & Shohei MORITA(SHIRETOKO SERAI（知床サライ)
*Contact us, Saiyu Travel for more information about wildlife and bird watching in Hokkaido. We can make various arrangements for your trip. We have a guesthouse, Shiretoko Serai, in Rausu, Shiretoko Peninsula.
