Although in the past almost no Pacific herring were to be found in Miyako Bay, thanks to the many efforts on the part of those working to increase resources, Pacific herring are beginning to use the bay as a spawning ground and place to rear their young. Our research showed that subterranean rivers exist in the bay, which are ideal for raising larvae. We must ensure that the rich environment of Miyako bay and its Pacific herring resources remain into the future.

While Japan now has a Basic Act on Ocean Policy and many are calling it a Maritime State, as long as we limit our debates to neighboring seas we've not gone beyond our island mentality. Last year, after looking into China's marine science and technological capabilities, I felt keenly that a comprehensive and systematic survey should be undertaken. In this article, I would like to give an overview of the state of marine science and technology in China and also make a proposal regarding Japan's ocean policy.

In this article I will discuss a technology for making effective use of the energy and resources to be found in the ocean. The oceans cover 70% of the earth's surface. Ocean thermal energy conversion exploits the thermal energy derived from the temperature difference of the surface seawater and deep seawater to generate electricity. I will discuss technologies which; produce hydrogen through electrolysis of purified water that has been desalinated; retrieve lithium contained in deep seawater; and create fisheries by utilizing the highly nutritive salts found in deep seawater. Finally, I will explain the economic effects of each of the technologies.