Sea and Japan Project Public Relations Office
[Catch and carefully observe sea creatures] Elementary school students from around Lake Hamana participate with their parents! “Lake Hamana Eelgrass Expedition” (1st to 5th) was held!
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Shizuoka UP, a general incorporated association, will hold the 1st to 5th sessions of the “Lake Hamana Eelgrass Expedition”, a marine field class for children to protect the cradle of the sea, seaweed eelgrass, and protect Lake Hamana. Did.
This event is part of the Nippon Foundation’s “Ocean and Japan Project,” which connects people through the ocean in order to pass on the rich and beautiful ocean to the next generation.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2566/resize/d77920-2566-bc1c17d49a076810f5e4-0.jpg&s3=77920-2566-9a0fcb305c6c9cb3d52c79d172b3b0e9-1023×762.jpg ]
Event overview
・Event overview: “Lake Hamana Eelgrass Expedition” (1st to 5th) (1st)・Date: Saturday, August 12, 2023, 10:00-12:30・Venue: Beach House “Nankaiso” (Hamanako Village Kushi Boat Association)/Murakushi, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture Town / Number of participants: 35 people in total (22 children, 13 adults) /
Cooperating organizations: NPO Hamanako Satoumi Association, NPO Hamanako Forum, Hamanako Village Comb Fishing Association, Beach House/Nankaiso
(2nd session)・Date: Saturday, August 26, 2023, 10:00-12:30・Venue: Beach house “Nankaiso” (Hamanako Village Kushi Boat
Association)/Murakushi, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture Town / Number of participants: 24 people in total (15 children, 9 adults) / Cooperating organizations: NPO Hamanako Satoumi Association, NPO Hamanako Forum, Hamanako Village Comb Fishing Association, Beach House/Nankaiso
(3rd)・Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023, 12:00-15:00・Venue: Beach house “Nankaiso” (Hamanako Village Kushi Boat Association)/Murakushi, Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture Town / Number of participants: 33 people in total (20 children, 13 adults) /
Cooperating organizations: NPO Hamanako Satoumi Association, NPO Hamanako Forum, Hamanako Village Comb Fishing Association, Beach House/Nankaiso
(4th)・Date: October 29, 2023 (Sunday) 13:00-15:00・Venue: Bentenjima Seaside Park・Uninhabited island Ikarise (Bentenjima, Maisaka-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)・Number of participants: 22 people in total (14 children, 8 adults) / Cooperating
organizations: NPO Hamanako Forum, Bentenjima Boat Association, Maisaka Town Tourism Association
(5th)・Date: March 23, 2024 (Sat) 10:00-12:30・Venue: Hamana Lake Experience Learning Facility WOT (Bentenjima, Maisaka-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)・Number of participants: Total of 26 people (18 children, 8 adults) / Cooperating organizations: Hamanako experiential learning facility WOT, NPO Hamanako Forum Descend to Lake Hamana from the sea pier, enter the sea from an uninhabited island, and search for living things in the Koamamo community!
Something strange is currently happening at Lake Hamana. About nine years ago (around 2015), the seagrass “eelgrass”, which is also known as the “cradle of the sea” and serves as a habitat for living creatures, began to rapidly decrease. The decline in eelgrass is having an impact on the entire aquatic ecosystem of Lake Hamana, with the catch of clams, once a Lake Hamana specialty, continuing to decline, as well as the amount of seafood caught, including shrimp and crabs. Not only has the clam catch hit an all-time low, hurting the business of fishermen, but clam picking, a popular tourist attraction at Lake Hamana, has been canceled for five consecutive years. Although various organizations are working to protect the environment, eelgrass communities continue to decline. In order to stop this decline in eelgrass, the Hamanako Wonder Lake Project was created by people who live in the area to join forces and take on the challenge of doing what they can. The Lake Hamana Wonder Lake Project held the first session of the “Lake Hamana Eelgrass Expedition,” a marine class for children to protect the cradle of the sea, the seaweed eelgrass, and protect Lake Hamana. The first Hamana Lake Eelgrass Expedition was held on August 12th (Saturday), and students from 10 elementary schools, including 9 elementary schools in Hamamatsu City and Kosai City, and children from Tokyo, participated. I participated. A total of 35 participants, including 22 children and 13 adults, took a ferry from Nankaiso, a beach house, to the pier on Lake Hamana. When you gingerly descend the stairs, you will find yourself in the shallow waters of Lake Hamana! All the children were surprised as it was their first experience to step into the water in the middle of Lake Hamana, where they had traveled by boat. The children went out to sea with their eel nets and aquariums, and observed the growth of eelgrass under their feet. They also used the nets to catch creatures that live around the eelgrass, and they caught a hermit crab with their hands. They enjoyed exploring the ocean and observing sea creatures.
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2566/resize/d77920-2566-1a56AEC1EC1EC1EC1D3B3B6-1.jpg &s3=77920-2566D84D84D84D84D46752BE150F4D9798FF c8c5-3031X1125.jpg] It would be a shame if eelgrass, which is home to a wide variety of creatures, disappears any further.
After the approximately 1-hour capture observation session, we boarded the ferry again and returned to Nankaiso, where the observation staff, who are knowledgeable about the creatures of Lake Hamana, gave us a detailed explanation of the creatures that we had captured that day. We were able to observe many very rare creatures, including the octopus jellyfish, which is extremely rare to be caught in a net, a pipefish that looks like a thin leaf, and a baby blowfish. In addition, you can drink cold soup made with seaweed from Lake Hamana, observe large fish caught just in the morning in the local traditional fishing called “Kakudate Fishing”, and see the phantom crab, known as the “Douman Crab”. We also experienced the “touch pool” where you can enjoy touching. Furthermore, in the Hamana Lake Eelgrass Expedition (5th edition), which was held as a special event with the cooperation of the Hamana Lake Experience Learning Facility WOT, children gathered at a place where eelgrass, once extinct, was making a comeback and held an observation session. The parents and children who participated were surprised. In order to maintain Lake Hamana’s rich ecosystem, we will explore how eelgrass must be protected by humans, and how we must all work together to maintain the beauty of Lake Hamana. I learned a lot through the classroom.
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2566/resize/d77920-2566-c3dfb053ac849f2f3d22-3.jpg&s3=77920-2566-88d7b44498396a2891fb2c1b32393f6e-2897×1055.jpg ]
Voices from participating children and parents
●It was my first time to participate as a parent and child, but it was a very valuable experience and I enjoyed it. I thought I would be able to observe more creatures in seasons and locations with more eelgrass. ●I was able to observe Koamamo, which I would never have been able to see from the lakeshore. I first learned from a fisherman that Koamamo is also a member of the eelgrass family. ●There were a lot of small fish around the eelgrass and it was cute. It was interesting to hear from a member of the observation committee that the long, thin thing that looked like a torn leaf was actually a living thing called a pipefish. ●The touch pool was fun and I learned a lot because I don’t usually have the opportunity to touch live fish. ●We learned that rare creatures live in Lake Hamana. We also learned from a story from a fisherman that in order to protect this home, we must continue to protect the beautiful Lake Hamana. ●Until now, I had no idea that something unusual was happening to Lake Hamana due to the rapid decline in eelgrass. We decided to research more about eelgrass and do what we can to help.
-Organization overview-
Organization name: Shizuoka General Incorporated Association UPURL: http://shizuoka.uminohi.jp/Activities: ●In order to preserve Shizuoka Prefecture’s rich ocean for future generations, we encourage children and young people who will be the next generation to become familiar with the ocean. We will create and promote a movement that fosters a spirit of knowing and valuing the beauty and richness of the world. ●Widely disseminate the above objectives to various organizations and businesses in Shizuoka Prefecture and call on them to participate in the movement. ●We will cover events related to the ocean in Shizuoka Prefecture, as well as groups and individuals who are passionately involved, and broadcast them on programs and news. ●Compile
information collected from within the prefecture and create a website. ●Hold events related to the sea unique to Shizuoka Prefecture and disseminate information.
[Image 4: https://prtimes.jp/i/77920/2566/resize/d77920-2566-7671d69a687ef0dc07f0-1.png&s3=77920-2566-946a9af2f200b030d53eddb47b561090-1868×535.png ]
Nippon Foundation “Ocean and Japan Project”
The sea supports Japanese people’s lives in various ways, sometimes giving them peace of mind, excitement, and inspiration. This is an all-Japan project that aims to encourage people across the country, including children, to view the ongoing environmental deterioration of the ocean as their own, and to expand the circle of action to preserve the ocean for future generations. is. https://uminohi.jp/
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000002566.000077920.html