The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in September in Samoa, adopted the Samoa Pathway action plan for the sustainable development of small island States over the next 10 years. As a conference participant, OPRF, in cooperation with interested parties from the Pacific region, hosted a side event in which it launched the Islands and Oceans Net, an international collaborative network composed of a wide variety of partners. We hope to make this network a basis for promoting the implementation of policies concerning islands and oceans, especially in the Pacific region.
Selected Papers No.19(p.8)

There has been a rapid increase in the number of Chinese fishing vessels conducting illegal Precious Coral fishing operations in the territorial waters and EEZ of the Ogasawara Islands. The Ogasawara fishing industry has already suffered serious damage, and there are worries of catastrophic destruction of it as well the marine environment. In order to pass on the bountiful Ogasawara seas to future generations, urgent coordination by the Japanese and Chinese governments on countermeasures for illegal fishing vessels is indispensable.

Usuki City in Oita Prefecture has designated this year as Kamagari Year One, as the region promotes its marine products. Although Kamagari, or Kuroguchi in standard Japanese, is a fish that has been eaten in the Usuki City region since ancient times, it is not well known to the outside world. This article introduces the local initiative that puts the little-known Kamagari at its forefront, behind which the residents of the area have come together as one to promote their marine products.