For so long have we taken for granted that the waters of the planet will continue to feed us generously and unconditionally that the mere thought of this cheap and accessible source of sustenance actually collapsing is hard to contemplate. There is no doubt that we have now come to the stage where urgent action must be taken.

Taking the passing of the Basic Ocean Law as a propitious occasion, I report in this paper on an immediate concern for the maritime field, the creation of the next generation of physical distribution systems. The technologies for these systems are already showing promise. However, the maritime field must not only solve these issues, but is called on to make its industries more efficient and multi-functional and to provide infrastructure for a variety of industry developments on the ocean.

The problem of eutrofication of the enclosed bays of Tokyo, Osaka, and Ise have been discussed many times in these pages. Regarding terrestrial loads, in this paper I introduce the effects of 'atmospheric loads,' which have heretofore received little attention. In future urban planning, there is a need for study into the possible effects on water quality in rivers and streams far removed from the areas undergoing land use change.