Diets of Steller sea lions off the coast of Hokkaido,Japan: An inter‐decadal and geographic comparison

Inter‐decadal and geographic variations in the diets of Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus, were examined based on the contents of 408 stomachs collected from coastal areas around Hokkaido Island during the periods 1994–1998 and 2005–2012. The most important prey species in the 1990s were gadid fishes (walleye pollock [Gadus chalcogrammus], Pacific cod [Gadus microcephalus] and saffron cod [Eleginus gracilis]). The frequency of occurrence and gravimetric contribution of gadids decreased in the 2000s latter period at three study sites (Rausu, Shakotan and Rebun) and were replaced by Okhotsk Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus azonus) and smooth lumpsucker (Aptocyclus ventricosus). However, analysis based on gravimetric composition indicated that the dietary diversity of prey showed only a slight inter‐decadal difference, reflecting the wide diversity of prey ingested during both study periods. These results indicate that Steller sea lions along the Hokkaido coast are opportunistic feeders that utilize a wide variety of prey, and appear to feed mainly upon prey that is easily obtained.     

Great Japan earthquake of March 11, 2011: Tectonic and seismological aspects

The tectonic and seismological aspects of the Great Japan Earthquake, which occurred on March 11, 2011 (M _w = 9.0), at the Pacific margin of the northeastern part of Honshu Island, are discussed. The structure and seismotectonic data, seismicity, and the reccurence rate of the great (M ≥ 7.6) earthquakes throughout history and in modern times are represented. It is shown that the reccurence rate of the great events is about 40 years, and that of megaearthquakes is 1000 years or more. A seismic gap of about 800 km in length is found in the region under study, located to the south of latitude 39° N and full of aftershocks to the megaearthquake of March 11, 2011. This event is probably connected with the deep thrust along the Benioff zone and its structural front (Oyashio nappe at the middle Pacific continental slope). The aftershock sequences of this megaearthquake and the Sumatra-Andaman (2004) megaearthquake are compared. It is found that several of their key characteristics (the number of aftershocks, the magnitude of the strongest aftershock, and the time of its occurrence) for 25 days are comparable for both cases with a significant difference in the energies of aftershock processes. A probable scenario for the origination of a repeated shock with M ∼ 8.0 in the Japan Trench is discussed.     

Age and Growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sillago aeolus</Emphasis> in Okinawa Island,Japan

In a study of the age and growth of Sillago aeolus, a total of 414 fish were collected from December 2000 to March 2002, around Okinawa Island. Ages of 403 specimens were determined by otoliths. Monthly changes in the percentage of otoliths with an opaque zone in the outer margin indicated that an opaque ring formed once a year, occurring between February and May. The rings can therefore be defined as annual rings. Ages of females were estimated to be 0+ to 4+, while those of males were 0+ to 2+. The von Bertalanffy growth curves were well fitted to age-standard length data of males and females, as follows: Male: L_t = 209.6 [1 − exp{−0.70 (t + 0.58)}]. Female: L_t = 297.7 [1 − exp{−0.42 (t + 0.61)}].     

The Japan Sea Intermediate Water; Its Characteristics and Circulation

In the southern Japan Sea there is a salinity minimum layer between the Tsushima Current Water and the Japan Sea Proper Water. Since the salinity minimum corresponds to the North Pacific Intermediate Water, it is named the Japan Sea Intermediate Water (JIW). To examine the source and circulation of JIW, the basin-wide salinity minimum distribution was investigated on the basis of hydrographic data obtained in 1969. The young JIW, showing the highest oxygen concentration and the lowest salinity, is seen in the southwestern Japan Sea west of 133°E, while another JIW with lower oxygen and higher salinity occupies the southeastern Japan Sea south of the subpolar front. Since the young JIW shows high oxygen concentrations, high temperatures and low densities, the source of the water is probably in the surface layer. It is inferred that the most probable region of subduction is the subarctic front west of 132°E with the highest oxygen and the lowest salinity at shallow salinity minimum. In addition, property distributions suggest that JIW takes two flow paths: a eastward flow along the subarctic front and an southward flow toward the Ulleung Basin. On the other hand, a different salinity minimum from JIW occupies the northern Japan Sea north of the subarctic front, which shows an apparently higher salinity and high oxygen concentration than JIW. However, this salinity minimum is considered not to be a water mass but to be a boundary between overlying and underlying water masses. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Reproductive ecology of the dominant dinoflagellate, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ceratium fusus</Emphasis>, in coastal area of Sagami Bay,Japan

The seasonal abundance of the dominant dinoflagellate, Ceratium fusus, was investigated from January 2000 to December 2003 in a coastal region of Sagami Bay, Japan. The growth of this species was also examined under laboratory conditions. In Sagami Bay, C. fusus increased significantly from April to September, and decreased from November to February, though it was found at all times through out the observation period. C. fusus increased markedly in September 2001 and August 2003 after heavy rainfalls that produced pycnoclines. Rapid growth was observed over a salinity range of 24 to 30, with the highest specific rate of 0.59 d⁻¹ measured under the following conditions: salinity 27, temperature 24°C, photon irradiance 600 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹. The growth rate of C. fusus increased with increasing irradiance from 58 to 216 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹, plateauing between 216 and 796 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹ under all temperature and salinity treatments (except at a temperature of 12°C). Both field and laboratory experiments indicated that C. fusus has the ability to grow under wide ranges of water temperatures (14–28°C), salinities (20–34), and photon irradiance (50–800 μmol m⁻²s⁻¹); it is also able to grow at low nutrient concentrations. This physiological flexibility ensures that populations persist when bloom conditions come to an end.     

A sediment trap experiment in Funka Bay, Japan: “upward flux” of particulate matter in seawater

Sediment trap experiments were carried out ten times in one year (1977) at three depths in Funka Bay. The material obtained in the traps was analyzed for metals, organic elements and radionuclides, together with the suspended matter in the overlying water column. Two groups with extremely different downward fluxes were found, a group with a small flux increasing with depth, and another with a large flux that is rather constant with depth and is observed only in winter. The flux in winter, and sometimes in the bottom layer below the summer thermocline was larger than the net sedimentation rate for total dry matter or for each chemical constituent. The flux was also larger than the net removal flux for ²³⁴Th. A most striking fact is that the specific activity of short-lived ²³⁴Th did not decrease in winter, indicating that the large flux in winter was not caused by the re-suspension of old bottom sediments. The concentration of suspended matter in winter was not much greater than that in other seasons. These results suggest that the downward flux observed in sediment trap experiments is not a net removal rate and that there must be an upward particulate flux in the bay.     

Pb and Cs in sediments from Sagami Bay, Japan: sedimentation rates and inventories

Profiles of the radioisotopes ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs were determined in 15 sediment cores collected from Sagami Bay, Japan. The activities of ²¹⁰Pb_ex (unsupported) in core top sediments increased with water depth from 25 dpm g⁻¹ on the upper continental slope off the mouth of Tokyo Bay to an average of 283 dpm g⁻¹ at the deep-sea station SB. The high ²¹⁰Pb trapping efficiency of settling particles expected from the results of the sediment trap experiment near the SB site suggests that effective ²¹⁰Pb enrichment in surface sediments may occur during resuspension and lateral transportation of particles via the benthic nepheloid layer on the continental slope. In several cores, ¹³⁷Cs profiles showed an increase, a distinct peak, and then a decrease to an undetectable level downcore. These profiles can be compared with the temporal change of bomb-produced ¹³⁷Cs fallout.The mean sedimentation rates estimated by the ²¹⁰Pb_ex inventory method, rather than using ²¹⁰Pb_ex profiles, ranged from 0.06 g cm⁻² y⁻¹ to 0.14 g cm⁻² y⁻¹. The average value of the rates in SB cores was calculated to be 0.11 g cm⁻² y⁻¹, which was similar to that calculated under the assumption that the age of the ¹³⁷Cs peak corresponds to its maximum fallout year in 1963.Although ¹³⁷Cs inventories represented one tenth of the anthropogenic fallout of ¹³⁷Cs until 1997, they correlated with the increase in ²¹⁰Pb_ex inventory. This suggests that the scavenging of refractory ¹³⁷Cs as well as ²¹⁰Pb by settling particles in the water column can lead to the formation of a time marker layer even in deep-sea sediment core, such as at the SB site.     

Spatial variation in low-level <Superscript>134</Superscript>Cs in the coastal sediments off central Honshu in the Sea of Japan: implications for delivery,migration, and redistribution patterns

In 2014 and 2015, we examined the spatial distribution of cesium-134 (half-life: 2.06 years) from the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) in marine sediments within coastal–basin areas (water depths of 40–520 m) off central Honshu Island (the main island of Japan) in the Sea of Japan. The ¹³⁴Cs concentrations in both the surface sediment (0–1 cm depth) and whole-core inventory exhibited wide variations, and were highest at the site closest to the Agano River Estuary area (6.7 Bq/kg-dry and 886 Bq/m², respectively). This indicates that ¹³⁴Cs in coastal areas was delivered by riverine suspended solids (SS). Given the spatial variation in ¹³⁴Cs concentrations, we believe that ¹³⁴Cs partially migrated northeastward within ~50 km along Honshu Island (at water depths shallower than ~140 m), and southwestward, including the Sado Basin area. This is predominantly attributable to the transport of SS by bottom currents and unsteady downward delivery onto the steep slopes of the basin. The total amount of ¹³⁴Cs in the study area in 2014 was estimated at approximately 0.6 TBq (decay-corrected to March 11, 2011, date of FDNPP accident).     

Current and Material Transport at Tomogashima Strait, Japan

Tomogashima Strait, which is an entrance of Osaka Bay, is a very important area for material transport because a large volume of pollutant-rich water in Osaka Bay is transported through this strait. We have investigated the cross sectional structures of current and material fluxes at Tomogashima Strait, Osaka Bay. Tidal current and residual flow patterns in cross section at Tomogashima Strait during summer and winter are almost the same, and residual flow in summer is stronger than that in winter. However, the net water exchange through the strait in summer was almost the same volume as that in winter. At Tomogashima Strait, total suspended matter (TSM) and particulate organic carbon (POC), and individual nitrogen and phosphorus compartments in Osaka Bay always flowed out except particulate organic nitrogen (PON). The average outflows of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) at Tomogashima Strait over a year were calculated to be 145 ton/d and 30 ton/d, respectively. The average outflow of DIN and DIP at Tomogashima Strait over a year were 95 ton/d and 13 ton/d (DIN/DIP = 16), respectively. Residence times of both DIN and DIP in Osaka Bay were estimated to be about two months.     

Observations of upwelling around the Izu Peninsula,Japan: May 1982

Hydrographic observations between the Izu Peninsula and Oshima Island, Japan, in May 1982, showed upwelling around the tip of the Peninsula and possibly also in the lee of Oshima Island. The upwelling introduced water as cold as 18 C with nitrate concentrations of 3M to the surface. Temperature/salinity analyses indicated that the upwelled water was of Kuroshio characteristics. Slightly fresher water was advected out of Sagami Bay in a coastal counter current.Contribution number 470 from the Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba.     

Crown foliage dynamics of mangrove <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kandelia obovata</Emphasis> in Manko Wetland,Okinawa Island,Japan

The crown foliage dynamics of Kandelia obovata (S., L.) Yong were investigated, including leaf recruitment, survival and leaf growth. Newly flushed leaves occurred successively throughout the year, with a maximum in July and a minimum in January. The highest leaf death was in August, whereas it was the lowest in January. The relative mortality rate of leaves seemed to depend on the season when new leaves flushed. The growth pattern of leaves varied among seasons. The maximum leaf area was significantly larger in winter than in autumn, but showed no significant difference between the winter and the other seasons. The half-expansion period and the intrinsic rate of increase were respectively longer and lower in winter than in the other seasons. Therefore, leaves flushed in summer grew faster in their initial stage and attained their maximum leaf area sooner than those flushed in winter. This most likely results from the difference in temperature between summer and winter. The crown leaf area was almost stable throughout the year, as if homeostatic control is likely to function. Stipule litterfall decreased significantly with increasing flower and propagule litterfalls, indicating that a high production of flowers and propagules results in low leaf recruitment. This may be because flower production and propagule growth impose a severe burden on K. obovata.     

Water, Salt, Phosphorus and Nitrogen Budgets of the Japan Sea

Water, salt, phosphorus and nitrogen budgets of the Japan Sea have been calculated by box model analysis using historical data. Average residence time of the Tsushima Warm Current Water in the upper 200 m is 2.1 years and that of the Japan Sea Proper Water is 90 years. The salt flux from the Tsushima Strait balances those through the Tsugaru and Soya Straits. Average residence times of phosphorus and nitrogen from the Tsushima Strait are 2.2 years and 1.6 years, respectively, in the upper 200 m of the Japan Sea. Total nitrogen/total phosphorus ratios of riverine load, the Tsushima Warm Current water and the water in the Japan Sea are 16.4, 16.6 and 11.3, respectively. This suggests that denitrification is dominant in the Japan Sea. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Sourcing seafood for the three major markets: The EU,Japan and the USA

This paper describes the marine fish and invertebrate consumption in three of the world’s major seafood markets (the EU, Japan and the USA) using a series of global maps indicating the likely origin of the seafood consumed by each market. These maps display a high level of dependence by these markets on foreign sources as the serial depletion of local fisheries resources forced the fleets in search for new seafood supplies well beyond their domestic waters. The acquisition of foreign (and high seas) seafood by these markets is conducted through two channels: by dispatching distant water fishing fleets that directly exploit foreign stocks; and by importing catch landed elsewhere by local fleets. The results also demonstrate that each of the three major markets occupies a zone of influence within which it is dominant.     

Net Zooplankton and the biological pump off Sanriku, Japan

Taxonomic composition, size composition, standing stock, and chemical composition of mesozooplankton were determined to examine the contribution of their fecal pellets to the vertical flux of organic carbon at the outside, the edge, and the center of the warm core ring. The warm core ring significantly affects not only their taxonomic composition and size composition but also their standing stock and chemical composition. The zooplankton at the center of the warm core ring was characterized by the absence of carnivores at the top of the size-trophic relation and filter feeding planktonic tunicates at the bottom. Zooplankton carbon biomass at the outside of the ring was one-third less than that at the center of the ring. The vertical flux of fecal pellets obtained from the pellet volume (12.3 mgC m⁻²d⁻¹) contributed 19 to 96% of the flux (13 to 64 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹) estimated from the body carbon and the fecal pellet production rate. The estimated flux of fecal pellets was 6 to 27% of vertical carbon flux (236 mgC m⁻²d⁻¹) determined by the sediment traps. Microscopic determination of fecal pellets and plankton in the sediment trap samples indicated high grazing activity during the sinking process. Those observations might suggest that particles other than fecal pellets contributed significantly to the vertical carbon flux and fecal pellets were settled directly without loss or being recycled within the surface mixed layer.     

Megaearthquake of March 11, 2011, in Japan: The event magnitude and the character of the aftershock sequence

The great Japanese earthquake (GJE) of March 11, 2011, was a megaevent. The conditions under which such seismic catastrophes occurred are discussed. The regime of the aftershocks of this megaevent is compared with the data on the aftershock sequences which accompanied the Simushir earthquakes (2006 and 2007) and the Andaman earthquake (2004) and with the seismicity behavior in the generalized vicinity of a strong earthquake. The aftershock sequences of the abovementioned strong earthquakes are shown to represent the sets of trend changes in the postshock activity and specific outbursts of seismic activity. Activity outbursts are characterized not only by an increase in the number and energy of events, but also by a decrease in the recurrence plot slope (b value) and the average earthquake depth. Some such outbursts correspond to the occurrence of strong repeated shocks. A possible mechanism for outbursts of seismic activity is proposed. The possibility of a stronger repeated shock in the vicinity of the megaearthquake of March 11, 2011, is discussed.     

TURFs in the post-quake recovery: Case studies in Sanriku fishing communities,Japan

This study explored how Territorial Use Rights for Fisheries (TURFs) functioned during the recovery from the devastating tsunami disaster which struck the Sanriku region in 2011, with a focus on abalone harvest, which is the most profitable resource managed by TURFs. During the winter of 2011–2012, only 36 of 51 managing bodies could harvest abalones because of a great shortage of boats. Recourse degradation was also feared, and the harbors were badly damaged. Of 27 managing bodies whose harvesting methods were known, 22 harvested collectively. Abalones are traded at high price and harvesting them requires skill; hence, it has always been done individually and competitively; collective harvesting conducted during this season was therefore quite exceptional. Eighteen managing bodies also handled distribution of the harvest, adopting flexible measures according to each community's circumstances. The collective action ended immediately after the urgent shortage of boats was alleviated. The diversity of natural resources managed by TURFs, autonomy of the fishing communities fostered by their remoteness and the nested structure of TURFs’ resource management enhanced the resilience of the fishing communities.     

Pelagic chaetognaths in Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay,Central Japan

Pelagic chaetognaths in Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay, Central Japan, were studied. Their community structure was very similar in both of these bays. Four genera and 26 species were identified. In Sagami Bay the habitat segregation by depths was clearly obtained. The population and species number of epipelagic (0–200 m) chaetognaths were larger in summer than in winter. The populations of meso- (200–500 m) and bathypelagic (500–1,000 m) species were smaller than that of epipelagic ones and fairly stable seasonally.