(ほうりょう)

ほうりょう
noun
good catch; bumper haul; abundant fishing
1. good catch; bumper haul; abundant fishing
An especially large or plentiful fish catch. Used for both a single outing's results and a season's overall yield.
今年(ことし)豊漁(ほうりょう)だ。
It's a good catch this year.
サンマが豊漁(ほうりょう)値段(ねだん)()がった。
Saury prices dropped because of the abundant catch.
漁師(りょうし)たちは豊漁(ほうりょう)(いの)って出港(しゅっこう)した。
The fishermen set out to sea praying for a bountiful catch.

A compound of (ほう) (abundant, rich) and (りょう) (fishing, catch). The antonym is 不漁(ふりょう) (poor catch). Commonly seen in seasonal news reports about fish catches.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 豊漁(ほうりょう)(めぐ)まれる: to be blessed with a good catch
  • 豊漁(ほうりょう)(いの)る: to pray for an abundant catch
  • 記録的(きろくてき)豊漁(ほうりょう): a record-breaking catch
  • 豊漁(ほうりょう)貧乏(びんぼう): poverty due to an oversupply of fish (prices crash so fishermen lose money despite catching more)

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 大漁(たいりょう): big catch — more casual and celebratory; often seen on fishing flags (大漁旗(たいりょうばた))
  • 不漁(ふりょう): poor catch — the antonym
  • 豊作(ほうさく): bumper crop — the agricultural equivalent (for farming, not fishing)

CULTURAL NOTE:
豊漁(ほうりょう)貧乏(びんぼう) is a well-known economic paradox in Japan: when the catch is too good, fish prices plummet and fishermen's income actually decreases despite the abundance.