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MOE home > Nature and Parks > EBSA home > Coastal Area > 10801 Adjacent waters of Nosappu, Habomai, Shikotan isls.

 

Coastal Area 10801 Adjacent waters of Nosappu, Habomai, Shikotan isls.

Basic Information A separate window opensReferences

Relevant municipalities Nemuro, Shikotan, Hokkaido Prefecture
Area (km2) 2580

Reason(s) for selection A separate window opensCriteria

Selected due to high levels for the criteria 1, 2, 3 and 4, and selected by MARXAN software.

Characteristics A separate window opensReferences

Highly natural shore zones are spread off the coasts of Habomai and Shikotan. The waters less than 50 m deep extend continuously from Habomai and Shikotan to the Nemuro Peninsula. These highly productive waters are home to broad seaweed beds. This high productivity is thought to be a result of the very high concentrations of chlorophyll in the offshore zones in the vicinity of the four islands, plus the contribution of nutritive salt flowing from the Sea of Okhotsk. While sea otters can be seen at Kanakuso Crag, Kabuto Crag, Harukarimoshiri Island, Odake Island and elsewhere in the waters from Shikotan Island to Cape Nossapu, particularly large numbers have been observed at Harukarimoshiri Island (Kitano Umino no Dobutsu Center, 2004.), where breeding has been confirmed as well (Northern four islands (Northern Territories) expert exchanges committee of marine mammal and sea birds, 2000). At Kanakuso Crag and Todo Crag in the Habomai Islands, Steller sea lion have been confirmed to come ashore at non-breeding grounds sites, with the vicinity of Kanakuso Crag in particular being their largest landing site in the four northern islands. Numerous common seal can be seen in the northern part of Shikotan Island. The Habomai Islands also are home to many common seals, which are distributed broadly all the way to Cape Nossapu. Numerous taluses can be observed to have developed in the shore zone of the northern part of Shikotan Island, serving as a nesting ground for spectacled guillemot (Northern four islands (Northern Territories) expert exchanges committee of marine mammal and sea birds, 2000). Numerous spectacled guillemot, rhinoceros auklets and tufted puffins also can be seen centered on the Habomai Islands (Hokkaido Northern Four Islands (Northern Territories) Study Group, 2001). Numerous pinnipeds and sea birds inhabit Nemuro Peninsula as well.

Environment / Habitat infromation A separate window opensData source

Tidal mud flats (km2) 0.8
Moba (seaweed bed) (km2) 17.3
Coral reef coverage (km2)
Natural coast (km) 106
Rate of natural coast (%) 77.9
Sand bank / submerged sand bank
Other habitats

Species information (*) A separate window opensData source

Criteria 1
<Mamal>
Callorthinus ursinus (Northern Fur Seal)
Phoca largha (Larga Seal (Spotted Seal))
Phoca vitulina (Common seal (Harbour Seal))
Eumetopias jubatus (Steller's Sea-lion)
Enhydra lutris (Sea otter)
Phoca hispida (Ringed Seal)
<Aves>
Haliaeetus pelagicus (Steller's Sea-eagle)
Clangula hyemalis (Long-tailed Duck)
Branta bernicla (Brent Goose)
Riparia riparia (Sand Martin)
Criteria 2
<Aves>
Apus pacificus (Pacific Swift)[Br/Ne]
Phalacrocorax capillatus (Japanese Cormorant)
Phalacrocorax capillatus (Japanese Cormorant)[Br/Ne]
Uria aalge (Common Murre)
Uria aalge (Common Murre)[Br/Ne]
Synthliboramphus antiquus (Ancient Murrelet)
Synthliboramphus antiquus (Ancient Murrelet)[Br/Ne]
Larus crassirostris (Black-tailed Gull)
Larus crassirostris (Black-tailed Gull)[Br/Ne]
Cepphus columba (Pigeon Guillemot)
Cepphus columba (Pigeon Guillemot)[Br/Ne]
Fratercula cirrhata (Tufted Puffin)
Fratercula cirrhata (Tufted Puffin)[Br/Ne]
Larus schistisagus (Slaty-backed Gull)
Larus schistisagus (Slaty-backed Gull)[Br/Ne]
Larus canus (Mew Gull )
Cepphus carbo (Spectacled Guillemot)
Cepphus carbo (Spectacled Guillemot)[Br/Ne]
Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel)
Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel)[Br/Ne]
Riparia riparia (Sand Martin)[Br/Ne]
Larus hyperboreus (Glaucous Gull)
Charadrius alexandrinus (Kentish Plover)[Br/Ne]
Larus argentatus (European Herring Gull)
Phalacrocorax urile (Red-faced Cormorant)
Phalacrocorax urile (Red-faced Cormorant)[Br/Ne]
Falco peregrinus (Peregrine Falcon)[Br/Ne]
Phalacrocorax pelagicus (Pelagic Cormorant)
Phalacrocorax pelagicus (Pelagic Cormorant)[Br/Ne]
Fulmarus glacialis (Northern Fulmar)
Larus ridibundus (Black-headed Gull)
<Pisces>
Laemonema longipes (Threadfin hakeling)[Sp]
Sebastes schlegelii (Korean rockfish)[Sp]
Theragra chalcogramma (Alaska pollock)[Sp]
Clupea pallasii (Pacific herring)[Sp]
Arctoscopus japonicus (Japanese sandfish)[Sp]
Gadus macrocephalus (Pacific cod)[Sp]
Criteria 3
<Mamal>
Phoca vitulina (Common seal (Harbour Seal))
Enhydra lutris (Sea otter)
<Aves>
Uria aalge (Common Murre)
Synthliboramphus antiquus (Ancient Murrelet)
Fratercula cirrhata (Tufted Puffin)
Cepphus carbo (Spectacled Guillemot)
Histrionicus histrionicus (Harlequin Duck)
Phalacrocorax urile (Red-faced Cormorant)
Phalacrocorax pelagicus (Pelagic Cormorant)
Criteria 4
<Aves>
Uria aalge (Common Murre)
Fratercula cirrhata (Tufted Puffin)
Oceanodroma leucorhoa (Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel)
Criteria 7
<Pisces>
Hypoptychus dybowskii (Korean sandlance)
Gastersosteus aculeatus aculeatus (Three-spined stickleback)

* 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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