Consumption of yellowtail and salmon and attitudes toward yellowtail as “fish for toshi-tori” in Hida region, Gifu prefecture

The purpose of this study was to investigate the consumption trends of yellowtail and salmon and attitudes toward the consumption of yellowtail as the “fish for toshi-tori （a traditional custom to celebrate the New Year）” in the Hida region, Gifu prefecture, Japan. According to the results of a questionnaire survey, most people eat salmon more frequently than yellowtail at everyday meals. However, many eat yellowtail as frequently as they did 20 years ago. Interest in the specific production area is also high. The consumption of yellowtail for toshi-tori is customary for many in the region. A majority of survey respondents indicated that eating yellowtail at the end of the year was an important element of regional food culture, hoped that their toshi-tori fish were harvested from the Japan Sea, and thought that even if products changed in form from the traditional style, such as products with reduced salt and sold as fillets, were also valid as items used to celebrate toshi-tori.