On tiny Kudaka Island, off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Yoko and Setsuko are master sea snake catchers. At 70 years old, they’ve been hunting poisonous sea snakes at night for over 40 years. As explained in this Wild Japan clip from BBC Earth, “It’s a skill that’s been passed down the generations here for at least five centuries.”
The snakes are Black-banded sea krait, known as irabu in Japanese. Though the snakes’ venom can be 10 times more powerful than rattlesnake venom, the locals serve irabu smoked and as a soup.
The Okinawan coast provides a variety of foods including mozuku seaweed. In this Wild Japan clip, a seaweed farmer harvests the superfood from the sea floor with a special vacuum:
Next: Harvesting a French Coastal Superfood, an anaconda gives birth underwater, and a few other sea slug videos.Curated, kid-friendly, independently-published. Support this mission by becoming a sustaining member today.