Gyodo –Fish Ladder- 20 years of Nagara River Estuary Barrage

Country / Region

Japan

Year

2015

Producer

HAMAZAKI Kenichi

Director

YOSHIDA Shu, KAMAKURA Hideya

Time

43min

Language

Japanese

Production

NHK

Distribution

Gifu prefecture applied Nagara River to register GIAHS “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System” and FAO, a part of specialized agency of UN, inspected them. The downstream area of the river was excluded for the heritage targeting area. The controversial estuary barrage that has changed the lives of people living with blessings of the river was built in the downstream area. Fishermen in the downstream of the river, where once was a rich fishery area of Ayu, gave up continuing their business one after another. The last and only fishermen brothers of the downstream area keep their business as if their lives are the ladder for the fish on the estuary barrage. The film illustrates the feelings and emotions of people living in the downstream area of the Nagara River while verifying the intention of the local government that changed their policy from against the construction plan to approve it under the framework of public construction behind the decision.