A unique landscape of a large sandspit with withered trees. A shallow inner bay with extensive Eelgrass beds Notsuke-hanto and Notsuke-wan Seagrass/Seaweed Bed, Geographical Coordinates: 43°34’N, 145°16’E / Altitude: 0-10m / Area: 6053ha / Salt Marsh, Sandspit Major Type of Wetland: Shallow marine water, tidal flat, seagrass/seaweed bed, salt marsh, low moor, sandspit / Designation: Special Pro- tection Area of National Wildlife Protection Area / Municipalities Involved: Betsukai Town and Shibetsu Town, Prefecture / Ramsar Designation: November 2005 / Ramsar Criteria: 1, 2, 5, 6

Notsuke-hanto

Left: Redshank, Right: Brent Goose (Photo by K. Fujii)

General Overview: have been observed in the area. derwater area with dense seagrass and Notsuke-hanto is a hook-shaped penin- Inner Bay is a Rich Fishing Ground: seaweed communities such as Kelp and sula jutting into the between Notsuke-wan is the inner bay surrounded Eelgrass. It is an important habitat for Nemuro Peninsula and Shiretoko Penin- by the peninsula of Notsuke-hanto. The various marine life and a productive sula in eastern Hokkaido. It is the largest mouth of the bay is 4.3km wide, and the bay ground for marine resources. A seagrass sandspit in with a length of 28km, covers an area of approximately 5700ha. bed of Eelgrass has developed on the formed with sand sediments brought by the It is a shallow bay with a maximum depth sand and silt sediments of the inner bay. tidal currents running through the Nemuro of 4m at the mouth and a depth of less than The extensive seagrass beds of Eelgrass Strait between the peninsula and Kunashiri 1m for most of its area. The bay has one are found at the bay of Notuske-wan, and Island. There are some unique landscapes of the largest seagrass beds in Japan. The Mutsu Bay in Aomori prefecture in north- of withered trees called “Todowara” and seagrass bed of Eelgrass Zostera marina is ern Honshu. “Narawara” formed by the flat sand beach- a rich repository of fishery resources be- Contact Information: es and marshes almost as high as the sea cause it serves as a good spawning and Betsukai Town Office level. Forests of trees such as Sakhalin Fir nursery ground for various fish and shell- http://betsukai.jp/ Abies sachalinensis, now stand lifeless due fish. In Notsuke-wan, the major catch in Shibetsu Town Office to subsidence and seawater wash. the seagrass bed is Hokkai Shrimp Pandalus http://www.shibetsutown.jp/ In contrast to a linear outline of the latirostris. In summer and autumn, shrimp open sea coast, the curved inner bay holds fishing is conducted with small fishing boats

a number of jutted tidal flats in various called “Utasebune” with three-cornered Shibetsu Town Okhotsk Sea forms, with salt marshlands on the shore- sails. Engines cannot be used because the line. Because of the diverse natural wetland bay is too shallow. The elegant view of the Notsuke-hanto and environment, it is an important stopover sailing boats drifting in the wind is one of Notsuke-wan site visited by more than 20,000 migra- the seasonal features in Notsuke-wan. Nature Center tory birds every spring and autumn. In par- Hokkai Shrimp is a limited marine re- Topporo River ticular, the numbers of Grey-tailed Tattler, source and the local fishermen’s coopera- Notsuke Bay

Whooper Swan, Brent Goose, Wigeon, tive regulates the fishing season and the Odaito Scaup, and Common Goldeneye accounts amount of catch strictly. It is a good exam- Betsukai Notsuke Peninsula for 1% of the each species’ population in ple of wise use of the wetland. Town Rd. East Asia. Moreover, breeding Redshanks [Seagrass/Seaweed Bed] It is an un-

16 RAMSAR SITES in JAPAN