Coastal Area 12802 Izu Peninsula coast

Basic Information References

Reason(s) for selection Criteria

Characteristics References

These waters extend along the coast of the Izu Peninsula from the southern Manazuru Peninsula to the mouth of the Kano River in Suruga Bay. Off the coast in the vicinity of Hatsushima Is. are communities of Pterocladia capillacea, Gelidium pacificum, Gelidium elegans, Gelidium japonicum, and agar (Ministry of the Environment, 2001). Off the Nishikigaura coast in the city of Atami are waters with a high degree of diversity of species, including rare gobies such as Vanderhorstia auropunctata, Vanderhorstia macropteryx, Cryptocentrus shigensis, and others, as well as Maroubra yasudai. The waters off the Jogasaki coast centered on the Izu Oceanic Park have a remarkably high degree of diversity of species, including rare species such as Maroubra yasudai, Pseudanthias leucozonus, Pseudotrichonotus altivelis and others. Off the coast of the southeast Izu Peninsula (from Shirahama to Touji) are seaweed communities, mostly kombu kelp and Sargassum fulvellum, as well as Ecklonia cava, species highly similar to Sargassum siliquastrum, Sargassum piluliferum, Eisenia bicyclis%, Ecklonia cava, and others (Ministry of the Environment, 2001). In addition, Oura Bay is home to the westernmost seaweed beds in Sagami Bay as well as a central location in the distribution of warm-water seaweed, and a habitat for rare species of fish that live at the sandy sea floor, including Matsubaraea fusiforme, Silhouettea dotui, and others (Seno et al., 1997; Senou et al., 2006; Seno and Matsuura, 2007; Takeuchi et al., 2012a ; Takeuchi et al., 2012b; Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, eds., 2013). The seaweed beds off the southern Izu Peninsula are feeding waters for green turtle (Suganuma et al., 2010), and there is a high diversity of coral species in the waters near Izu Hirizo Beach, Tondai, and the Port of Nakagi in the town of Minamiizu, Kamo-gun (Ministry of the Environment, 2001). Among the number of islands in the south, the waters of Mikomoto Island are home to a breeding colony of Japanese murrelet (an IUCN endangered species) (BirdLife International, 2012). The waters off the coast from Ugusu through Cape Kogane to Arari are highly diverse in fish species, including Blenniidae, gobies and others. The waters off Cape Ose, like those off the Jogasaki coast, are among the waters of the Izu Peninsula that have a remarkably high degree of diversity of species, including numerous rare species such as Maroubra yasudai, Pseudanthias leucozonus, Pseudotrichonotus altivelis, and others (Seno et al., 1997; Senou et al., 2006; Seno and Matsuura, 2007; Takeuchi et al., 2012a ; Takeuchi et al., 2012b; Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, eds., 2013), and in the river mouth area in the inner bay creatures can be seen that live in brackish water, such as flat-headed goby and others (Kato, personal communication). Eura Bay is a rare habitat for Acropora tumida (Acropora pruinosa), once plentiful but now greatly reduced in number (Nanto et al, 2009).