A fishing port facing Toyama Bay on the Sea of Japan coast is a flurry of activity this month with the auctioning of a shrimp variety that is a regional delicacy.

The season for broad velvet shrimp, also known as Japanese glass shrimp, opened on Friday, April 1. The transparent, pinkish shrimp is known as the "jewel of Toyama Bay." It's caught mostly in the region.

Bad weather on Friday kept fishing boats from going out into the sea. On Saturday, the first catch of the season was unloaded at Shinminato port in Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture, in the morning.

The shrimp measured 7 to 8 centimeters long, the average size caught in a usual year. The first haul was immediately put up for auction.

A local fisheries association says about 2 tons of the shrimp is unloaded every day this time of year.

But in 2020 and 2021, demand plunged as people refrained from dining out due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That sent shrimp prices plunging. Fishers suspended operations or reduced their catches.

The captain of the Shohomaru, Matsumoto Takashi, says he had to refrain from catching the shrimp in the past two years, but hopes to work hard this year.

Matsumoto said he hopes people will enjoy the tasty shrimp from the bay.

The shrimp season will peak through July and August, and continue until November.