Biodiversity and fisheries resource management in the Satoumi

Japanese fisheries are characterized by (1) having a large proportion of artisanal fisheries, (2) establishing territorial user rights in fisheries (TURFs) by local fisheries cooperative associations (FCAs), (3) being one of the largest national fisheries in the world, and (4) using a variety of resources, from plankton-feeders to top predators, from sea urchin to marine mammals. The marine trophic index (MTI), the average trophic level of fisheries catches, has varied from ca. 3.1. in 1990 to ca. 3.6 in 1960 and 2000. There are many autonomous marine protected areas (MPAs) in Japanese coastal waters. Most of these MPAs are not legally regulated, but managed by the associated FCAs. MPAs are established or expanded when the major fisheries resources are depleted. In the case of Shiretoko, in northern Japan, a seasonal fishing-ban area for walleye pollock was established in 1994 because its stock was depleted. The MPA was extended according to the advice of the Scientific Council of the Shiretoko World Heritage Site in 2005. After that, Shiretoko was designated a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. The marine management plan for the Shiretoko World Heritage Site compiles the catches and yields of fisheries in the Shiretoko area, which are used for assessment of the fisheries' sustainability. Even at Japanese World Heritage Sites, we seek a balance between sustainable use of bioresources and conservation of biodiversity, instituting UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Program.