The worst Red Tide in recorded history struck Hokkaido this autumn.  Its shockwaves especially for the fishing industry, which lost over 17 Billion yen and counting, have been felt from Shiretoko National Park to Nemuro, where I host the main birding event on my annual Hokkaido Photo Tour and where the majority of the world’s Steller’s Sea Eagles population calls home during winter.  Red Tides can be naturally occurring, and when they are, generally, the cause is types of phytoplankton, protozoa, and bacteria accumulating in seawater, a scourge to aquatic life such as fish, shrimp, crabs, and other shellfish, but, in this case, we locals believe that chemicals from fertilizer factory runoff from Russian and Japanese held islands played a key role in this blood-red tide.  The moment I heard about this red tide, my first thought was the Steller’s sea eagles, White-tailed eagles, and Brown bears main autumn food supply, salmon.  I also reflected on which of the numerous Hokkaido wildlife species would be most impacted by this sudden downswing in the amount of fish available.  Shima Enaga?  Not really.  They are more forest foragers.  Red-crowned cranes?  They are omnivorous, but their diet isn’t mainly fish.  Other Hokkaido wildlife species, from what I have seen and heard from locals in the region, have made an early migration inland due to the raptors’ aggressive predation.  About half of the year, the Steller’s sea eagles usually call northeastern Siberia home, but during winter, the Steller’s sea eagles venture to a slightly warmer climate and better winter fishing grounds of the Pacific Ocean of Hokkaido, Japan.  The Steller’s sea eagles prefer a diet of trout, salmon, or other fish, but when the fish are in short supply, they will resort to other types of hunting and predation.  Young human children and house pets such as dogs and cats are carefully watched when venturing out on their own once the raptors’ food supply becomes scarce.  There are even fables of fawns and human children going missing during these periods due to insufficient safety protocols being followed.  It's far too common for cats and dogs to go missing.  From experience, on Hokkaido wildlife photography adventure expeditions, I have been stared down by dozens of Steller’s Sea Eagles, and I have even been buzzed (a close flyover) feeling gusts of wind from their wings while photographing in a Zodiac boat, and I have no doubt in my mind why they have survived several ice ages and have had no reason to evolve in hundreds of thousands of years.  Now, when using a Zodiac boat in Hokkaido, monopods are a must, and everyone watches out for each other.  This is not the Steller’s sea eagles’ first red tide, their main autumn food supply this year was greatly diminished, and these raptors are on the endangered species list, with 5000 plus in the wild, and they have survived several ice ages, and they weathered this year's red tide.

If your dream is to spot and photograph the Steller’s sea eagle, you’ll need to make the pilgrimage to Hokkaido to make your dream spotting and photograph these primal raptors a reality, and as many professional birding photographers know, a local or well-experienced Hokkaido workshop leader or guide is a necessity, especially now that more safety precautions must be followed.  I have spent over 22 years photographing in Hokkaido, and I have captured Steller’s Sea Eagles as well as their perpetual adversary, the White-tailed Eagle, on hundreds of occasions, and I have even seen the price some photographers have paid for not treating some of Hokkaido’s birds of prey with enough respect while in the field, and as a side note, I have had two showdowns with Ebola, and I am alive now to tell the tale.  C/19, unfortunately, went global, so safety, vaccinations, and boosters are mandatory on all my workshops plus regular testing, myself and staff included.  All participants will receive PPE kits, including 3M N95 masks with fresh air vents or without if you choose.  PPE kits include medical gloves, triage medical wipes for participants’ faces and hands, and each SUV will have a 20-liter washing station with soap, water, and towels to maintain peak levels of safety.  There will also be alcohol mouthwash and iodine medical gargle if desired as another means of C/19 prevention.  I cannot promise Covid safety, and those that do are living in a dream world, but I will do everything I can to keep you COVID safe.  And in all of my workshops, all SUVs have business class seating, and anyone who knows me knows that I steer clear of heavily-trafficked tourist areas, and we only stay in lodgings that I trust.