Protected Water Surfaces (Japan)

Protected areas of water in Japan

Protected Water Surfaces (保護水面, Hogo-suimen) are areas of water in Japan so designated, in accordance with Section 2 of the 1951 Protection of Fishery Resources Act (水産資源保護法),[1][2] by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in conjunction with the prefectural governor in an effort to protect and cultivate the aquatic animals and plants living on and below the surface.[3][4][5][6]

As of August 2002, there were 55 designated Seawater Surfaces (海面), totalling some 2,948 hectares (7,280 acres), and 65 Freshwater Surfaces (内水面), the latter comprising 59 riverine surfaces, with a total length of 2,303 kilometres (1,431 mi), and 6 lacustrine surfaces, with a protected area of 214 hectares (530 acres).[7] Representative of each type are areas of the Seto Inland and Ariake Seas, Ibi, Kinugawa, Nagara, and Tenryū Rivers, and Lakes Biwa and Kasumigaura, respectively.[3]

In these areas, as well as no-take measures, with the harvesting of all or particular species prohibited, and breeding and propagation initiatives, activities including dredging and land reclamation are restricted and regulated.[8][9]

## See also

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* Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Japan)
* 100 Fishing Village Heritage Sites (Japan)
* Wildlife of Japan: Fish
* Fishing in Japan

## References

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1. ^ 水産資源保護法 [Protection of Fishery Resources Act] (in Japanese). Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
2. ^ "Act on the Protection of Fishery Resources". Ministry of Justice. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
3. ^ a b 水産資源保護法に基づく保護水面について [On Protected Water Surfaces based on the Protection of Fishery Resources Act] (PDF) (in Japanese). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
4. ^ 保護水面の指定及び管理に関する事務取扱要領の制定について [On the Establishment of Administrative Details concerning the Designation and Management of Protected Water Surfaces] (in Japanese). Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing. 1 April 2000. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
5. ^ 日本における海洋保護区の設定状況 (2009) [Status of Marine Protected Areas in Japan (2009)] (PDF) (in Japanese). World Wide Fund for Nature. 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
6. ^ "Marine Protected Areas: Interactions with Fishery Livelihoods and Food Security. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 603". Food and Agriculture Organization. 2017. p. 44. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
7. ^ 環境用語 保護水面 [Environmental Terminology: Protected Water Surface] (in Japanese). Environmental Innovation Information Organization. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
8. ^ "The way how Marine Protected Area in Japan should be ~ to promote biodiversity conservation ~" (PDF). Nature Conservation Society of Japan. September 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
9. ^ "Protected Areas in Japan" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. Retrieved 3 April 2021.