Harbors dotting the coastline facing Wakasa Bay have been good ones since ancient times, and are situated near Kyoto, so they are said to be the harbors to unload fish and shellfish including mackerel; here is also the so-called "Mackerel Highway" (the highway on which fish and shellfish - especially the mackerel - are transported) between Wakasa area and Kyoto.
若狭湾に点在する港は古来より良港で、しかも京都にも近いため、鯖（サバ）などの魚介類の水揚げ地（いわゆる鯖街道）とも言われる。