Tuesday marked Nori Day in Japan, an annual event when farmers of "nori," or seaweed, stage various activities aimed at expanding its consumption.
This year, however, a poor Ariake Sea crop is casting a pall over the industry.
Nori shipments for the first 10 months of fiscal 2000 totaled about 3.8 billion sheets measuring 21 cm by 19 cm, according to the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations.