Sapporo Salmon Museum, Public aquarium and science museum in Makomanai Park, Sapporo, Japan
The Sapporo Salmon Museum is a public aquarium facility in Makomanai Park with exhibits about salmon biology and fish ecology. The spaces feature dioramas, video displays, and viewing channels where you can observe live fish.
The facility opened in 1984 to share knowledge about salmon fishing and river ecosystems. It grew from a restoration effort for local salmon populations that began in the 1970s.
The museum continues the Toyohira River salmon-return project begun in 1979: staff catch returning salmon each year, take eggs, hatch them and release fry into the Toyohira and Makomanai rivers. Since 1998 eggs have come from Chitose River salmon, because a fish ladder made catching fish at the Toyohira weir difficult. Annual events include salmon watching and egg-taking practice.
The facility sits about 30 minutes from the city center and offers free entry and plenty of parking for cars. It is helpful to check opening times before visiting, since the place does not operate every day.
An underground observation room lets visitors watch salmon and freshwater fish through windows below the water surface. This viewpoint reveals natural fish behavior in a way that typical tank displays usually do not show.
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