Plastic marine debris floating in the ocean go through a repeated process of degradation and fragmentation, eventually becoming minute bits called microplastics. If marine organisms mistakenly consume these microplastics, there is the possibility that contaminated matter adhering to the surface of the microplastics will be ingested and developmental problems arise. In comparison with other areas, the East Asia ocean region has been identified as a hot spot, by a degree of magnitude, for microplastics floating in the ocean. Along with the standardization and unification of monitoring methods, countries in the region must coordinate efforts in order to gain a better understanding regarding the current situation of floating microplastics, and formulate projections for the future.
Selected Papers No.22(p.9)

In recent years, ocean acidification, along with global warming, has been recognized as a critical environmental stressor on a global scale, and understanding its current situation and effects on marine organisms and ecosystems is an issue of utmost importance. In order to quantitatively assess the marine organism's response to ocean acidification and the compound marine environmental other stressors of warming temperature and deoxygenation, resulting from global warming, there is an urgent need to focus monitoring and observation efforts on the open ocean and coastal areas, especially in those areas where acidification is of heightened concern.

Kagoshima Prefectural Fisheries Senior High School received the National Maritime Award in August 2016, in recognition of its ocean education activities. At the school, our students and teachers take part in marine observations and tuna longline fishing resource studies, and also actively work towards the attainment of advanced qualifications, in an effort to contribute to the rebuilding and revival of the fishing and maritime transport industries. We look forward to the further development of our ocean education activities and hope to contribute back to our community.