East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) plans to launch a test project to farm whiteleg shrimp at Namie Station in Fukushima Prefecture in the middle of March. The project team will assess whether it's feasible to start a new business in a small space at the unmanned station.

　ＪＲ東日本などは今月中旬から、浪江町のＪＲ浪江駅で、バナメイエビ養殖の実証実験を始める。無人駅などを新たな産業拠点にできるかどうか検証する。

　The project team will attempt to raise 3,000 fry shrimp in a small aquaculture tank setup using renewable energy.
　The equipment will take up a narrow space about the size of a car. It will be installed next to the station building, making it easy to check the condition of the shrimp and the stability of the system.
　The initial period of the project is expected to be about three months, the amount of time needed for the shrimp to mature.
　The project will use a closed, recirculating aquaculture system that reuses water repeatedly. The use of renewable energy sources such as solar power can provide electricity self-sufficiency and keep costs down.

　実証実験は当面、約3カ月の予定で、駅舎脇の小型養殖場で稚エビから３０００匹を飼育し、成育状況やシステム稼働の安定性などを検証する。養殖場は車１台分のスペースがあれば設置でき、水を繰り返し利用する「閉鎖循環式」を採用している。太陽光などの再エネを使うことで電力の自給自足や、コスト削減などにもつなげる。

　The project team comprises three entities -- JR East's Mito Branch Office, JR East Start UP Co. and ARK Inc., a Tokyo-based company that developed and sells the land-based aquaculture system. They are also considering transporting the shrimp by train to sell them at stations along the JR Joban Line, such as Namie Station.

　ＪＲ東日本水戸支社のほか、ＪＲ東のグループ会社ＪＲ東日本スタートアップ（東京都）、陸上養殖システム開発販売のＡＲＫ（同）が実験を手がける。エビを列車で輸送して、浪江駅のあるＪＲ常磐線の沿線駅などで販売することも検討している。

　The Joban Line was partially suspended in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in 2011, but all lines resumed operation in March 2020.

　ＪＲ常磐線は、東日本大震災と東京電力福島第１原発事故の影響で一部不通となっていたが、２０２０年３月に全線で運転を再開した。

　According to JR East, the aquaculture project will be the first of its kind on the railway company's property. An official of JR East's Mito Branch Office said the company aims to create a new local industry in the Hamadori coastal area, where the town of Namie is located, with Namie Station as its birthplace.
　"We would like to consider holding various events, working together with officials of fishing ports in the Hamadori area and local governments along the line," the official said.

（　Translated by The Japan News　）

　ＪＲ東によると駅敷地内での水産養殖は国内初。同社水戸支社の担当者は「浪江駅を第１弾の実証場所として、浜通りで新たな地場産業の創出を目指す。浜通りの漁港、沿線自治体とも情報共有を進め、各種イベント開催などを検討したい」としている。

　【　２０２２年２月１０日付・福島民友新聞掲載　】