Coastal Area 10402 Shiretoko (Rausu) side coast

Basic Information References

Reason(s) for selection Criteria

Characteristics References

These waters extend from the Kunbetsu area on the east side of the Shiretoko Peninsula (the Kunashiri Island side) to include the Shiretoko banks. The east side of the Shiretoko Peninsula (the Rausu side) differs from the Okhotsk side in that it is dominated by a broad coastline of seaweed bed ecosystems, particularly on the north side of the peninsula. These seaweed beds are unique in that both cold-water seaweed, like that distributed in the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin, and warm-water seaweed, like that distributed in Hokkaido and to the south, can be seen here (Government of Japan, 2004), and the kombu kelp here supports the productivity of the area. The banks extending from the cape of the Shiretoko Peninsula to the north side are highly productive and serve as important spawning grounds for Okhotsk atka mackerel, Alaska pollock and others. In addition, like the Okhotsk side of the Shiretoko Peninsula a distinguishing feature of these waters is the large number of rivers in which wild salmon have been confirmed to swim upstream (Miyakoshi et al., 2012). Also to be seen here are Steller sea lions, spotted seals, ribbon seals, Minke whales, sperm whales, killer whales, and others, and these waters are visited by the largest number of pinniped species (seven species) in Japan. During the migration seasons in spring and fall, large flocks of short-tailed shearwater, red-necked phalarope, and fulmar can be seen here, and during the winter many species of sea duck and ancient murrelet have been confirmed around the sea ice.