http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110522a7.htmlMIYAKO, Iwate Pref. — Harvesting of seaweed resumed in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture, on Saturday morning for the first time since the coastal city was damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
Some 20 boats left the port of Omoe at 4:30 a.m. to pick naturally growing seaweed.
"It was a good catch," 24-year-old fisherman Daisuke Tademura said, adding that it will be "a big step toward reconstruction" of the devastated area.
Since most of the 800 fishing boats affiliated with the Omoe fishery cooperative were damaged by the tsunami, the association has secured some 60 vessels so members can jointly use them and share the earnings until the fishing fleet recovers, which is expected to take several years.