OTSU New specialties have been born from the collaboration of two nuisances in Lake Biwako.
Leather goods were developed using the black bass, an alien species which exerts a negative impact on the lake’s ecosystem, and water plants growing in large numbers to hinder the navigations of fishing boats.
Though they are priced mainly between 20,000 yen ($183) and 50,000 yen, bass anglers and others are showing interest in them.
The new products include wallets carrying price tags of 35,200 yen to 52,800 yen as well as a 33,000-yen key case and a change purse with a price of 26,400 yen.
They all use the carefully tanned skin of the black bass from Biwako and dyed with an agent based on waterweed from the lake.