Farmers have harvested the season's first batch of cultured nori edible seaweed from waters off the coast of Fukuoka Prefecture in western Japan.

The farmers boarded small boats early on Sunday morning and headed out to an aquaculture area in the Ariake Sea about 3 kilometers off the city of Miyama.

The workers pulled up nets that had been seeded last month. They placed the nets into mechanical reapers to harvest seaweed measuring roughly 10 to 20 centimeters long.

Three to four harvests are possible from a single seeding. But a season's first yield is described as having a softer and smoother texture than that of later output.

Nori is commonly served as a sushi roll wrapper in a dried form. It is also used as an ingredient in other Japanese dishes.

One of the farmers, Sugino Takao, said harvests have been poor for the past two years. But he said the density of nutrient salts is sufficient this year and that farmers are all motivated. He added that he wants consumers to eat tasty and safe nori from the area.

A local fishery association says seaweed has been growing well thanks to the ample concentration of nutrients despite warmer-than-usual seawater.

The first seaweed supply from the Ariake Sea off Fukuoka Prefecture will be put up for auction on November 29 before being shipped across the country.