Tourists bask in blue glow of firefly squid
Toyama Bay is the habitat of the world-famous glowing firefly squid, which surface in large numbers every spring in a phenomenon that has been designated a special natural monument. Peak firefly squid season means big catches for fishermen and brisk business for sightseeing boats that provide close-up views of the magical action.
Early in the morning, after 3 AM, sightseeing boats depart the Namerikawa fishing port (Namerikawa is also home to the world’s only museum dedicated to the firefly squid) in Toyama prefecture, making a short journey to fixed nets located about 1 to 2 km offshore. As the fishermen haul in their nets, the light emitted by the firefly squid causes the sea surface to glow a cobalt blue, evoking squeals of delight from the tourists.
Toyama Bay’s firefly squid fishing season opened on March 1 and is expected to continue until the end of June. Sightseeing boats are scheduled to run until May 7.
[Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun]
[…] For the articles, see: MAKE: Firefly Squid Light and Pink Tentacle: Tourists bask in blue glow of firefly squid that it links to. […]
[…] Source: Pink Tentacle […]
[…] [Via PinkTentacle] […]
[…] Toyama Bay is the habitat of the world-famous glowing firefly squid, which surface in large numbers every spring in a phenomenon that has been designated a special natural monument. Peak season for the firefly squid means big business for sightseeing boats that provide a close-up view of the magical catches.read more | digg story Trackback · […]
[…] Glowy squids […]
mmmmm. calamari.
[…] read more | digg story […]
This reminds me of my childhoold days in Brazil, fishing my father and friends. One night, around 3am, in a pier, I went down to the water to wash my hands and quickly removed the hand from the water when I noticed a strong blue/greenish glow. I then “disturbed” the water with a stick and the water brightened again for a few seconds. I was told those are algae or something similar, which emit light once you “touch” then. The effect is striking and beautiful.
[…] For more on this amazing natural phenomenon, check out The Pink Tentacle « Open Letter to Car Manufacturers by the Readers of Groovy Green […]
Totally interesting. Thanks
I’ve seen this in Shimizu, Shizuoka in Japan! I had no idea what it was at the time, but it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. It is unreal how the entire ocean seemed to glow with every wave. I wish everyone could see this in person.
[…] behold the power of tourist traps. […]
I love tourist traps!
I worked at a summer camp on an island outside of Seattle. One summer night after a bright, sunny day, the clouds rolled in and rain fell hard from the sky. Down on the piers, each raindrop that hit the water made a lighted ringlet ripple - one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!
Firefly Squid Season?…
Firefly squids light up the night in this Japanese sea port.
[via MAKE]
Tourists bask in blue glow of firefly squid
……
Stop the insanity !!!! Save the Firefly shrimp. Oh the cruelty.
Torsdagsblekksprutblogging: de lyser!…
Fantastiske bilder av selvlysende blekkspruter fra Japan. Mystiske er de også…….
[…] • Every spring, bioluminescent firefly squid in Japan’s Toyama Bay. Quite a site, 7 cm squid “shed light from around a thousand tiny light-producing organs located in the skin at the ends of their tentacles, around their eyes, and on their bodies (their mantles). It is speculated that this phosphorescence disguises the animal’s outline, or perhaps serves to intimidate or confuse potential predators.” […]
Friday Squid Blogging: Firefly Squid in Japan…
Cool pictures of the glowing firefly squid…….
[…] 90 percent of marine lifeforms produce some kind of bioluminescence, but humans rarely get to experience it in such a fantastic fashion. That is why I am fiercely jealous of the people of Toyama Bay on the west coast of Japan. Not only are they graced with mirages on a regular basis thanks to accidents of temperature – the ocean, filled with snow, is so much colder than the warm air above it that people see forests of shimmering silver “trees” on the horizon – from now until June they can take sightseeing boats into the bay to see the famous cobalt-blue bioluminescent Firefly Squid rising to the water’s surface. I don’t believe in God, but if I wanted to argue for his existence, I’d hold up these exquisite glowing creatures as Exhibit A. […]
[…] I had never heard of the firefly squid before seeing this article, and now all I want to do in life is find & wrestle them. Also I will be naked. They seem to eminate an electric blue glow from their tentacles that calls to me in ways no human lover ever could. Just wait my lovelies… our time will come. But you can’t tell anyone about this… mankind isn’t ready for our love. […]
[…] Source: pink Tentacle […]
I was thinking about you talking about how fireflies get their light. This is for my science project. I wounder how fireflies get their light. Can you please explain to me , i really need to. This is really important. Can you e-mail me. Thanks.
Love,
Winnie
P.S. I’m only eight going up to nine!
P.S.S. I’m in third grade now and i think this how fireflies get their light thing is just right for me.
[…] Toyama Bay is the habitat of the world-famous glowing firefly squid, which surface in large numbers every spring in a phenomenon that has been designated a special natural monument. Peak season for the firefly squid means big business for sightseeing boats that provide a close-up view of the magical catches.read more | digg story […]
[…] See the story here […]
[…] This week’s squid story is about the firefly squid, but I’m still trying to get my head around this picture: […]
[…] 6. Tourists bask in blue glow of firefly squid — Toyama owes its economic existence to the bioluminescent firefly squid, a fishery product that also fuels the local tourist industry. Local residents recently worked with Solid Alliance to develop a USB drive modeled after their beloved glowing beast. […]
Dance of the Firefly Squid…
The Firefly Squid (which goes by the fantastical name Sparkling Enope Squid) and puts on an impressive display in Japan:About 6 centimeters long, a firefly squid has about 1,000 light-emitting organs across its body. The eerie blue lights protect it …
[…] http://www.pinktentacle.com/2006/04/tour… […]
[…] Fished by the ton from March to June, when the fishing boats dump the nets onto the boat floor the squirming squids light up and turn the boats themselves into glowing blue beacons. Thankfully, for the curious visitors, one need not sign up to work on a Japanese fishing-boat tour just to see the bizarre and delightful phenomenon. From Pink Tentacle […]
[…] by tiny dinoflagellates. It was posted on Curious Expeditions, one of my very favourite sites. The Pink Tentacle photo above is from Japan, where tourists admire the day’s catch of sparkling enope squid, […]