The number of ama (sea women) divers in the cities of Toba and Shima in Mie Prefecture, which boasts the largest population of the divers in Japan, is decreasing sharply, raising alarm in the local community that the ama culture may not survive into future generations.
The traditional fishing method by ama divers, a profession held primarily by women which has been passed down for centuries, is characterized by skin-diving and a hand-catching method that prevents overfishing.
According to a survey by the Toba Sea-Folk Museum, there were a total of 514 ama divers in Toba and Shima in 2022, down 22% from the previous survey conducted five years earlier, when there were 660 divers. In addition to the aging of the divers, the acceleration of coastal desertification and the loss of the coastal seaweed — which feeds abalone and turban shell — is believed to have contributed to this decline.