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Hidakasanmyaku Erimo Tokachi NP, Hokkaido
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The Japanese name *zenigata* means “coin-patterned”: pale rings and spots on a dark coat resemble old coins with holes. Researchers can also use each seal’s distinctive pattern to recognize it in photographs.
At Erimo, pups are born mainly in May and June on rocky reefs—and usually arrive patterned like adults. Their pale newborn fuzz is shed in the womb, so they skip the familiar white “fluffy pup” coat.
At Cape Erimo, the maximum count of seals hauled out on the rocks rose from about 150 in the 1970s to about 600 in 2013. After hunting and reef-damaging construction stopped, the species left Japan’s Endangered category in 2015.
Cape Erimo is the southern limit of the seals’ range and Japan’s largest haul-out site. Because it is far from other colonies, its breeding group shows a tendency toward genetic independence.
Although salmon-net damage is a major local conflict, salmon were uncommon in stomachs of seals accidentally caught near Erimo. Most sampled seals were juveniles, so the adults’ full diet remains less certain.
During kombu season, a local kelp fisher’s boat carries visitors out to watch seals among the offshore reefs. Erimo’s “Kombu Boat Cruise” turns a working fishing boat into a wildlife-watching trip.
At Erimo, fishers call seal-damaged salmon “tokkari-gui”; *tokkari* is an Ainu word for seal. The Indigenous word remains part of the everyday vocabulary of the local fishery.
Erimo’s seal-tagging research began in 1990, when local people from fishing and tourism joined researchers to catch and mark seals. Following tagged individuals helps reveal their movements and how they use the coast.
Researchers tested grid panels at the entrances to Erimo’s salmon nets to reduce seal damage. Trials found lower damage at equipped nets, while teams continued refining the mesh to keep the fishery working.
To count Erimo’s seals, rangers time drone flights for low tide, when more reefs are exposed and seals haul out. From at least 60 metres up, one roughly 20-minute flight takes over 1,000 photos to count.
