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Coastal Area 14001 Adjacent waters of Okinoshima Island, Kashiwajima Island, and Ashizuri

Basic Information A separate window opensReferences

Relevant municipalities Sukumo, Otsuki, Kochi Prefecture
Area (km2) 501

Reason(s) for selection A separate window opensCriteria

Selected due to high levels for the criteria 4, and selected by MARXAN software. In addition selected by experts due to high biodiversity of species.

Characteristics A separate window opensReferences

These waters include the sea floor off the coast of Okinoshima Island, Kashiwajima Island, and Cape Ashizuri. Off the rocky shores in the vicinity of Kashiwajima, reef-building coral are building a large community, and southern benthos and fish are very diverse here. In addition, 1792 species of shellfish have been taken from the sea floor at depths of 100-300 m in the vicinity of Okinoshima Island, Kashiwajima Island, and Cape Ashizuri. (Higashi, 1960). Most of these were taken through trawling conducted at the sea floor called Okezoko off Okinoshima and in that vicinity, and through coral fishing conducted at the sea floor about 100 m deep off Okinoshima. Distribution of precious corals has been confirmed here as well, and coral fishing has been conducted here for a long time and continues today. These waters are one of the areas with the greatest diversity of shellfish in the vicinity of Japan outside the Ryukyu Islands (Kato, personal communication). In addition, in the vicinity of Kashiwajima Island there is high diversity, not just of shellfish, but of fish as well (Hirata et al., 1996). Many types of coral can be seen here as well, and a coral reef ecosystem has developed. A new species of damselfish and others have also been discovered here (Endo, personal communication). Among bird species, there is a breeding colony of Japanese murrelet (an IUCN endangered species) in these waters (BirdLife International, 2012). They also are an important feeding ground for the green turtle (Uetsuki, Watanabe, 2013).

Environment / Habitat infromation A separate window opensData source

Tidal mud flats (km2)
Moba (seaweed bed) (km2) 1.1
Coral reef coverage (km2) 0.1
Natural coast (km) 52.3
Rate of natural coast (%) 82.6
Sand bank / submerged sand bank
Other habitats

Species information (*) A separate window opensData source

Criteria 1
<Pisces>
Cirrhoscyllium japonicum (Saddled Carpet Shark)
Criteria 2
<Aves>
Apus pacificus (Pacific Swift)[Br/Ne]
Monticola solitarius (Blue Rock-thrush)[Br/Ne]
Calonectris leucomelas (Streaked Shearwater)
Calonectris leucomelas (Streaked Shearwater)[Br/Ne]
Egretta sacra (Pacific Reef-egret)[Br/Ne]
Falco peregrinus (Peregrine Falcon)[Br/Ne]
Pandion haliaetus (Osprey)[Br/Ne]
<Pisces>
Parapristipoma trilineatum (Chicken grunt)[Sp]
Etrumeus teres (Red-eye round herring)[Sp]
Engraulis japonicus (Japanese anchovy)[Sp]
Scomber australasicus (Blue mackerel)[Sp]
Trichiurus japonicus (Largehead hairtail)[Sp]
Seriola quinqueradiata (Japanese amberjack)[Sp]
Trachurus japonicus (Japanese jack mackerel)[Sp]
Sardinops melanostictus (Japanese pilchard)[Sp]
Scomber japonicus (Chub mackerel)[Sp]
Criteria 3
<Aves>
Synthliboramphus wumizusume (Apanese Murrelet)
<Pisces>
Sphyrna lewini
Criteria 4
<Aves>
Calonectris leucomelas (Streaked Shearwater)
<Octocorallia>

* This is the species list of which meet the criteria. In that matter, this list does not include all species that inhabit the individual area.
Abbreviation in the information is as follows.
[Br/Ne] : Adjacent water of breeding area or nesting site
[Sp] : spawning area
[Ad] : species not used for analysis but add to the list because inhabit information was collected later
[Ex] : species used for analysis but considered to be possibly extinct in the EBSA region (area)
No mark : data of species distribution

 

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