The ito, or Sakhalin taimen, is a species of freshwater fish native to Japan's Hokkaido island and the Northern Territories, though successful breeding has only been documented in a limited number of rivers. With its striking reddish body during the spawning season in April, the ito's population faces significant threats, leading to its classification as critically endangered by the IUCN and endangered by the Environment Ministry.
During a recent observation by an Asahi Shimbun reporter in eastern Hokkaido, the intense mating behavior of the ito was witnessed firsthand. Male ito, over a meter in length, engage in fierce battles for the attention of females in the spawning area, where construction activities have led to sediment influx potentially impacting successful fry hatching. The reporter's observations captured the aggressive interactions between rival male ito, with dramatic visuals of the combat taking place in shallow waters, underlined by the presence of indigenous Ainu people's culturally significant yellow fuchsia blooms along the river shore.