Environmental Management of the Semi Enclosed Sea and Red Tide Problems in the Seto Inland Sea

Abstract

The establishments of environmental conservation is urgent problem of semi enclose seas such as the Seto Inland Sea. Many scientists concerning in the studies on the Seto Inland Sea are participating with the International Center of Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS). Conferences of EMECS were held in 1990 Kobe, thereafter, Baltimore, 1993, Stockholm 1997, Antalya, 1999. Through these conferences it was commonly recognized that the establishment of the countermeasures to protect the proceeding of human induced pollutions in semi enclosed seas are the global concerns. Governance for the conservation of the environment which asks the participation by all sector of the coastal area are also discussed as one of the main objects of the Conferences. In the Seto Inland Sea, red tides occurred about 300 cases in 1976, however, countermeasures coped to decrease them by central and local Government, scientists, fishermen and citizens succeeded to decrease them to about 100 now, although some dinoflagellates and others cause the mass mortalities of fish and shellfish occasionally.