Implementation Status of Artificial Reefs in Miyazaki Prefecture

Miyazaki prefecture government has been setting up five Surface FADs (Surface Fish Aggregating Devices) and 12 Sub-surface FADs (Sub-surface Fish Aggregating Devices) at the areas around Miyazaki prefecture offing and around Okinawa prefecture west offing since 1995. The Surface FADs and Sub-surface FADs have made it possible to catch tunas and skipjack tuna and dolphin with poles and lines fishing method and trolling and dolphin round haul fishery. These devises have Oceanographic Observation system and the information that takes has made fisherman deciding easier to go or not. And they have contributed to fishermen's safety operations. Recently Miyazaki prefecture government has developed new method of analyzing the effect of artificial fishing reef by using GPS-data logger. The result of track analysis shows that the these FADs are more important for fishermen in Miyazaki prefecture.