Coastal Area 14301 Adjacent waters of Cape Toi, Shibushi Bay

Basic Information References

Reason(s) for selection Criteria

Characteristics References

These waters extend from the vicinity of Sakaematsu and Oshima Island in the city of Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture to Shibushi Bay. The coast of the sea extending in front of Sakaematsu is the southern limit of perennial eel grass. The seaweed beds off the coast in the vicinity of Cape Toi are dominated by Sargassum nipponicum (Report of the Miyazaki Prefectural Fisheries Research Institute, 2013). These are valuable Sargassum beds in light of the marked disappearance of seaweed beds from southern Kyushu. In the river-mouth tidal mud flats from the mouth of the Honjo River to the mouth of the Chino River live diverse halophytes in addition to Stenomelania rufescens, Psammotaea minor, Cerithidea rhizophorarum and other rare species (Ministry of the Environment, 2001). In addition, the shallow sea (up to 100 m deep) from Cape Toi to Shibushi Bay constitutes the only waters on the Pacific coast where subtropical continental relict fish (like those seen on the coast of the South China Sea) can be seen. Shibushi Bay also is home to thriving, highly productive fishing activity. In the area of the mouth of Shibushi Bay, home to river-mouth tidal mud flats, fiddler crab and Uca lactea lacteal are prolific. This also is a healthy habitat for common Orient clam, native to Japan (Ministry of the Environment, 2001).