Fishermen call for protection of Ariake seaweed

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Fishermen call for protection of Ariake seaweed

Regarding the issue of large-scale damage to Ariake seaweed beds, fishermen of the Ariake Sea area in southwest Japan on January 8 visited the fishery ministry to demand measures to protect the seaweed beds.

This activity was organized by Ariake Sea fishermen, who are plaintiffs in the Ariake Sea lawsuit, their lawyers, and their support group.

Fishermen and others pointed out that a suspected cause of damage to Ariake seaweed beds is the large amount of polluted water drainage from the adjustment pond (located inside the tide-control dike which was built as a part of the state reclamation project in Isahaya Bay in Nagasaki Prefecture).

They urged the ministry to stop draining massive amounts of water from the adjustment pond, to take measures to prevent the recurrence of damage to seaweed beds, and to introduce seawater to the adjustment pond by opening the sluice gate of the tide-control dike.

In order to evade their responsibility, fishery ministry officials said, “There may be various causes.”

Under the state Isahaya Bay reclamation project begun in 1989, the establishment of the 7-kilometer-long tide-control dike in Isahaya Bay separated the Ariake Sea from the outer sea water. After that, the tidal current within the bay has changed and the fishing environment deteriorated. In 2002, fishermen of the Ariake Sea area filed a lawsuit at the Saga District Court, demanding that the state halt the Isahaya Bay reclamation project because it seriously harmed the fisheries in the area. Although the Saga District Court in 2008 recognized that the state reclamation project caused severe damage, the government appealed to the high court.

- Akahata, January 9, 2010