VIDEO

VIDEO

Underwater Farming

Underwater Farming

Dive beneath the waters of Okinawa and explore traditional Japanese seaweed farming.

Grades

PreK - 12

Subjects

Geography

Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google Classroom
Share on MS Teams
Share via email
Print

Transcript (English)

- [Narrator] Around Okinawa, the warm Kuroshio Current supports one of the strangest ways of farming in the world. The Suhako family have made their living from the sea for generations. it's harvest time on the family farm. This is a field of Mozuku. It's just humble seaweed, but it has a reputation as a miracle superfood. It grows naturally. But Okinawan farmers have set out an ingenious system of nets to help it take root, and they have a very practical way of harvesting it. Mozuku seaweed is one of the most sought after dishes in all Japan, so every strand is precious. This farming still relies on traditional Japanese wisdom. It's what they call Satoumi. If you work harmoniously with nature, the sea will always provide. This is a manmade environment, but strange creatures roam the Mozuku beds, sea slugs, some crawl while others fly. This harmonious way of farming only works if the conditions are perfect. Warm water, plenty of nutrients, and a wide shallow sea. It's only here in Okinawa that they grow Mozuku on such a massive scale.

Transcripción (Español)

- [Narradora] Alrededor de Okinawa, la cálida Corriente de Kuroshio mantiene una de las formas más extrañas de agricultura en el mundo. La familia Suhako ha vivido del mar por generaciones. Es tiempo de cosecha en la granja familiar. Este es un campo de mozuku. Es un alga sencilla, pero tiene la reputación de ser un superalimento milagroso. Crece de manera natural. Pero los agricultores de Okinawa han creado un sistema ingenioso de redes para ayudarla a echar raíces, y tienen una forma muy práctica de cosecharla. El alga mozuku es uno de los platos más buscados en todo Japón, así que cada hebra es preciosa. Esta agricultura aún depende de la sabiduría tradicional japonesa. Es lo que llaman Satoumi. Si trabajan en armonía con la naturaleza, el mar siempre proveerá. Este es un entorno artificial, pero criaturas extrañas deambulan por los lechos de mozuku. Algunas babosas marinas se arrastran mientras otras vuelan. Esta forma armoniosa de cultivar solo funciona si las condiciones son perfectas. Agua tibia, muchos nutrientes, y un mar ancho y poco profundo. Solo aquí en Okinawa cultivan mozuku a gran escala.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Last Updated

December 11, 2024

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

Media

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.

Related Resources