Photo/Illutration A large amount of “chosen hamaguri” clams are washed ashore at Kujukurihama beach in Chiba Prefecture. (Provided by Chiba prefectural government)

A copious amount of clams has mysteriously washed ashore along the Kujukurihama beach in Chiba Prefecture, bewildering locals and fishermen alike as to how they got there--and prompting calls for people to leave them alone.

The strange scene of a massive bed of “chosen hamaguri,” a local specialty, washed up along a stretch of beach spanning some 40 kilometers came to the public’s attention on the evening of Nov. 11, according to the prefectural government.

The clams, each about the size of a fist, are stranded in the area between the city of Sosa to the town of Ichinomiya. Some were found clustered together.

Yoshitada Ebisawa, who works at the Ibaraki Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station, said strong sea waves probably turned up these clams and then a tidal current washed them away.

“But we haven’t had a stormy weather day since last week,” he said. “I don’t know. It’s a mystery.”

Local fisheries cooperatives that have fishing rights in the area have been working to return the shells back into the ocean.

But many people, curious and probably hungry, have also come to the beach to pick them up and take them home, although prefectural government officials are urging people not to do so.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said a man in his 70s who lives nearby. “There were so many of them. I got about two bucketsful."

At least one person came all the way from Tochigi Prefecture after seeing the news on TV.

Kujukurihama is one of Japan’s largest and longest beaches, making it hard for officials to crack down on clam diggers.

A prefectural official who handles issues related to fishing resources cautioned that picking up those clams sitting invitingly along the beach can lead to a hefty fine.

“Picking up clams without a permit in areas where fishing rights are set up is illegal and violators can be fined up to 200,000 yen ($1,925).”

(This article was written by Kanako Sanada and Noriyuki Shigemasa.)

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