Selected Papers No.12 January 2010 D irector's Message As mankind moves into the 21st century, integrated policies of ocean governance are necessary for the sustainable development and use of our oceans and their resources and the protection of the marine environment. Towards this end, the Ocean Policy Research Foundation (formerly: Ship & Ocean Foundation) has started an "Ocean Policy Research", with the mission statement "Liv- ing in Harmony with the Oceans". The Ocean Policy Research Foundation aims to conduct cross-sectoral research in ocean related issues in order to initiate debate on marine topics and formulate both domestic and international policy proposals. We publish a Japanese-language newsletter called the "Ship & Ocean Newsletter" twice a month. The "Ship & Ocean Newsletter" seeks to provide people of diverse viewpoints and backgrounds with a forum for discussion and to contribute to the for- mulation of maritime policies to achieve coexistence between mankind and the ocean. Our Foundation believes that the Newsletter can expand effective communication on these issues through its function as editor, publishing timely research and welcoming responses from readers, which might then be published in turn. "Ship & Ocean Newsletter Selected Papers No.12" contains English-language versions of papers from the Japanese Newsletter edition, published from No.191(2008.7.20) to No.210(2009.5.5). It is our sincere hope that these Selected Papers will provide useful insights on policy debate in Japan and help to foster global policy dialogue on various issues. Hiroshi TERASHIMA Executive Director ■The Newsletter Editorial Committee ●Chief Editors Tomoya AKIMICHI Vice Director-General, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature Toshio YAMAGATA Dean, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo ●Members Yukiko HORI Chairman, Enoshima Aquarium Masahiko ISOBE Professor, Course of Socio-Cultural and Socio-Physical Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo Hideaki KANEDA Director, Okazaki Institute Shin KISUGI Former Executive Director/Vice-President, Yokohama National University Professor Emeritus, Yokohama National University Professor, Society and Industry Course, The Open University of Japan Tadao KURIBAYASHI Professor Emeritus, Keio University Hisaaki MAEDA Professor, Nihon University Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo Toshitsugu SAKOU Professor Emeritus, Tokai University Kunio MIYASHITA Dean, Faculty of Buisiness Administration, Osaka Sangyo University Professor Emeritus, Kobe University ■Publisher Hiroshi TERASHIMA Executive Director, Ocean Policy Research Foundation Ocean Policy Research Foundation Kaiyo Senpaku Building, 1-15-16 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN 105-0001 Tel. 81-3-3502-1828/Fax. 81-3-3502-2127 URL. http://www.sof.or.jp/en/index.php ©2010 Ocean Policy Research Foundation Ship & Ocean Newsletter Selected Papers/No.12 ●2 C o n t e n t s The Future of the Short-Tailed Albatross, the Largest Seabird in the Northern Pacific —A Road to Coexistence Through Revival Operations— Fumio Sato Researcher, Yamashina Institute for Ornithology 4 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.195 September 20, 2008) The Pirates And Indo-Japan Relations Prabhakaran Paleri Former Director General, Indian Coast Guard / Visiting Fellow, OPRF 7 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.198 November 5, 2008) Towards a Vigorous Debate on Coordinated Promotion of Ocean Policy Hiroshi Terashima Executive Director, Ocean Policy Research Foundation 9 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.200 December 5, 2008) Thoughts on Climate Problems Toshio Yamagata Vice Dean, Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo 11 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.200 December 5, 2008) A Look at the Dramas of Oceans and Islands —Towards an Integration of Ocean Data— Tomoya Akimichi Selected Papers No.12 Vice Director - General, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature 13 January 2010 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.200 December 5, 2008) The New Cooperative Framework in the Malacca and Singapore Straits and the Role of the Private Sector Yohei Sasakawa Chairman, The Nippon Foundation 15 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.202 Janunary 5, 2009) Marine Ecolabel Japan —Promoting Downstream Resource Management Masashi Nishimura Marine Ecolabel Japan Secretariat 18 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.208 April 5, 2009) The Ship Recycling Convention and Japan's Role Koichi Kato Director, International Affairs Office, Shipbuilding and Ship Machinery Division, Maritime Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism 20 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.209 April 20, 2009) The First Japanese to Circle the Globe:Castaways of the Wakamiya-Maru Mikio Oshima Secretary-General, Ishinomaki Wakamiya-Maru Castaway Society 22 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.209 April 20, 2009) Message from a Remote Island —The Challenge of Sustainable Regional Revitalization Michio Yamauchi Mayor of Ama-cho, Oki-no-Kuni 24 (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.210 May 5, 2009) ●The affiliation of the author and the contents of the article are exactly as they appear in the Ship & Ocean Newsletter. Ship & Ocean Newsletter Selected Papers/No.12 ●3 The Future of the Short-Tailed Albatross, the Largest Seabird in the Northern Pacific — A Road to Coexistence Through Revival Operations— [KEYWORDS] Seabird / Migratory bird survey / Protection activity Fumio Sato Researcher, Yamashina Institute for Ornithology (Ship & Ocean Newsletter No.195 September 20, 2008) Though once declared extinct, the short-tailed albatross survived in a colony on Torishima Island and is now making a comeback. Decoys and audio recordings have been used to lure albatrosses to new breeding grounds, and an operation is ongoing whereby chicks from Torishima are transported to Ogasawara and hand-reared until becoming independent. The creation of stable breeding grounds on non-volcanic islands is creating a bright future for the short-tailed albatross. It has also lately been discovered that the waters off Choshi are important feeding areas for chick-rearing adults. Discovery and extinction The short-tailed albatross has a wingspan of just over 2.4m in flight. When flying over the sea, it does not flap its wings but makes great soaring movements up and down and from side to side, presenting a beautifully dynamic sight. This beautiful large seabird once had extensive breed- ing grounds along the Kuroshio Current that flows along- side the Japanese archipelago, from the Ogasawara Islands, Izu Torishima and islands near Okinawa to the Penghu Islands of Taiwan. In those days, the numbers are estimated to have been in the millions. As soon as their presence was discovered in around the 1890's, however, people started hunting them for their feathers, which were exported to the west. As a result, the majority of short-tailed albatrosses living on Torishima were culled in less than 10 years. Most albatrosses also disappeared from other breeding grounds by the mid-1920s. In other words, no sooner had the short-tailed albatross The short-tailed albatross is a Special Natural Monument of Japan, designated as a Grade made its appearance in modern history than it was virtually II endangered species ("Vulnerable") in the Ministry of the Environment's Red Data Book. wiped out by human activity. The last remaining colony on Short-tailed albatrosses have a life expectancy of 20 years or more. These are monogamous creatures that lay a single egg in around October and migrate towards the oceans in around Torishima had fallen to a few hundred individuals by the May. Chicks live at sea for about three years, returning to their birthplace to breed. mid-1920s, and in a field survey conducted by an ornitholo- gist in 1949, they were declared to be extinct. With this, it series of violent volcanic earthquakes, causing the closure was assumed that the short-tailed albatross had disappeared of the Meteorological Station. With this, the island became from the face of the earth. uninhabited and information on the short-tailed albatross ceased. Hopes for a revival In March 1977, Dr. Hiroshi Hasegawa of Toho Univer- In 1951, the Meteorological Agency had staff perma- sity landed unaccompanied on Torishima to investigate nently stationed on Torishima Island, as a frontline base the state of the short-tailed albatross, finding 71 adults and for observing typhoons before they hit the mainland. While 15 chicks. In 1981, the Ministry of the Environment and engaged in their work, the staff discovered a colony of 10 Tokyo Metropolitan Government started a breeding ground or more short-tailed albatrosses breeding in a field of eulalia improvement project. Eulalia was planted at Tsubamezaki, on the steep slopes of Tsubamezaki, at the southern end of and conservation activity aimed at stabilizing the soil was Torishima. The news was flashed around the world. Subse- carried out. The Tsubamezaki breeding ground was thickly quently, thanks to protection efforts by the Meteorological sedimented with pumice and scoria from the volcanic erup- Agency, the short-tailed albatross very gradually increased tions, and eulalia grew thickly on top. However, in the 20 in numbers. The number recorded in January 1955 was 16 years since the rediscovery, heavy rains had caused sedi- adults, 3 chicks, and 4 eggs. In April 1965, 11 chicks were ments to run off, most of the vegetation had been lost, and recorded. The albatross population was slowly growing. In the breeding grounds had become terribly unstable. To November of the same year, however, Torishima suffered a increase the albatross population, raising the breeding rate Ship & Ocean Newsletter Selected Papers/No.12 ●4 The Future of the Short-Tailed Albatross, the Largest Seabird in the Northern Pacific —A Road to Coexistence Through Revival Operations— was an issue of utmost urgency. From this arose the need to swordfish, and its skull as an object for shamanistic rituals. stabilize the Tsubamezaki breeding ground. These suggest very strongly that the short-tailed albatross On the other hand, the biggest threat to the project was was once a far more familiar sight in Japan than we think that Torishima's volcano would erupt once again.