Herring roe is a traditional luxury food for the Japanese, and is usually presented as gifts during their holidays. When their economy went south, the price of roe went with it.
In 1997, we were getting $2,300 a ton. Now we're getting about $400 a ton.
Preparing the roe is a very exacting process. It has to be brined in multiple stages, in a specific fashion. We don't do that here -- it all has to be processed in Japan.
They're definitely in here. It's going to be a busy week.
We were out scouting for fish today, and we found a school right below the Bay Bridge that was 3.5 miles long and 2.5 miles wide.
