Photo/Illutration Keisuke Saito’s otolith collection includes this pair of Pacific cod ear stones. (Ryo Oyama)

SENDAI—Sendai locals Keisuke Saito and Junko Abe each found and consumed 100 different fish species in their quest to gain the highest-level certification for their “gem” collections.

The Miyagi prefectural government held a ceremony here on June 10 to award certifications to “ear stone” hunters, part of its program to promote consumption of fish.

Ear stones are otoliths, the white rocky structures found inside the head of fish. Consisting of thin calcium carbonate crystals formed near three semicircular canals, otoliths play a role in the balance and hearing of fish.

Otoliths also have patterns resembling annual rings on a tree, which can be used to determine the age of a fish.

Almost all fish species are believed to have a pair of ear stones, one on either side, but their shapes and sizes differ from one species to another. They have been described as “gems.”

The prefectural government started the ear stone hunter certification system in 2018 in hopes that the excitement and fun of collecting otoliths would increase public interest in fisheries and fish-eating.

One rule for certification is that applicants must extract the ear stones on their own from the fish they ate.

At the ceremony at a government building in the prefectural capital of Sendai, Saito, 16, and Abe, 50, were certified as “three-star” hunters, meaning they collected otoliths from 100 different fish species.

A “one star” rating goes to those who have covered 20 fish species, while “two star” certification is awarded for 50 species.

The prefectural government has been regularly organizing hands-on courses for elementary school pupils and others on how to extract ear stones from fish.

Local government officials said only 60 or so fish species regularly hit markets in the prefecture within a given year, so it is extremely difficult to achieve the 100-species mark without constantly frequenting fish shops.

Saito, a second-year student with Sendai Nika Senior High School, and Abe, a certified administrative procedures legal specialist in Sendai, are among only five people who have been certified as three-star ear stone hunters.

Saito is the first high schooler to gain the certification, officials added.

EXCITEMENT AND TENSION

Saito said he was a fourth-grader when he took a course on ear stone hunting in hopes of making it the subject of his “independent research” school assignment.

He became a passionate collector of otoliths.

“When I look for ear stones, I feel both excited and tense, which is a lot of fun,” Saito said.

By visiting local fish shops and markets along the Sanriku coast, he collected otoliths of 100 fish species over seven years.

Saito said the table at his home has been full of fish dishes day after day.

“Each encounter with a new fish species gives me joy,” he said, smiling. “I am so thankful to my mother for having bought whole fish of 100 species.”

Abe said she learned about the ear-stone craze among fish lovers in recent years. With an innate penchant for collecting, she got hooked on gathering otoliths.

Over the past year, her daily morning routine has included visiting a market near her workplace to look for rare fish species, Abe said.

In consideration for the certification program’s emphasis on eating fish, Abe said she always takes notes on how she cooks the fish, such as in acqua pazza.

“I have been very excited every day, wondering about the taste of a fish species that I will see for the first time,” she said.

It took her less than a year to reach the 100-species mark.

“I will continue this practice for the rest of my life, with the next goal of 1,000 species,” Abe said, causing a stir among prefectural officials at the certification ceremony.

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