In response to the Basic Act on Ocean Policy, Iwate prefecture drew up the "Iwate-Sanriku Marine Industry Promotion Guideline Ein 2009 as part of its efforts to encourage active utilization of ocean resources and foster marine industries. In order to bring about a successful recovery to the Sanriku coast after the massive damage caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, we want to recreate the area by viewing the ocean that spreads out before us as a major resource, speeding up existing initiatives, and proceeding with efforts to make the area a center for research in renewable ocean energy, accompanied by viable projects.
Selected Papers No.17

While it is soon to be two years since the earthquake and tsunami disaster, progress is being made toward a recovery in tourism even in the coastal areas so heavily damaged by the tsunami. The ocean is one of Miyagi's greatest tourism resources, so through co-existence and conservation of the ocean we hope to undertake new local development projects and recovery projects within the prefecture.

Survey efforts are now underway in the Kesennuma-Moune Bay area to understand the effects of the earthquake and tsunami on coastal ecosystems and how recovery might best be approached. Short-necked clams and other marine life are now bountiful as the wetlands and tidal flats in the inner reaches of Moune Bay begin to recover. Plans are also underway for a massive seawall that would have a deep connection to the survival of the forest-sea linkage, which is the source of the Sanriku area's rich marine resources. In order not to leave the root of the problem for the next generation, it is hoped that a disaster prevention plan will be adopted that takes both healthy ecosystems as well as natural scenery into consideration.