Of the earth’s 6.5 billion people more than 2.9 billion of them rely on marine organisms as an important source of food. The phrase, “We Live Through Your Good Graces: Human Dependence on Marine Ecosystems” formed the basis for a discussion on how marine organisms and marine ecosystems should be protected to achieve our goal of creating a sustainable society where people are healthy and live with a sense of safety and security.

Marine ecosystems have contributed to the well-being of humankind by providing a variety of services that provide humans with food, material cycling biodiversity and peace of mind. However, marine ecosystems and the organisms that make up that ecosystem have been disturbed due to human based factors such as global warming and overfishing. The impact of humans in fishing for example, is evident when one considers that of all the fish caught in the world, only 50% is used directly as food. Twenty-five percent is used as fertilizer and fish meal, and the remaining 25% is discarded. Higher-order organisms such as some tuna species, have been decreasing in number due to overfishing and are now designated endangered species. The destruction does not stop there; seabed ecosystems have been simplified due to the destruction of marine habitats by trawl fishing. Marine ecosystems have been disturbed by human activities, resulting in decreased biodiversity and desertified marine habitats. To pass a viable society on to our successors, we have to think globally about how to protect food sources and the sea by acting locally on a case-by-case basis. The slogan, “Think globally, act locally”, coined by Rense Dubos, and contracted to “glocal”, succinctly states that it is important to think globally and strive to create a sustainable society locally.

The program was as follows:

Introduction:

• “What is Sustainability?” (Masahide Kaeriyama, Hokkaido University Faculty of Fisheries Sciences)

Keynote lecture 1:

• “Sustainability Science as It Applies to Fisheries” (Ussif Rashid Sumaila, Director of the Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Canada)

Keynote lecture 2:

• “Global Citizenry and Sustainable Fisheries – a Day When Mackerel Costs More Than Fatty Tuna” (Tetsuji Ida, Science Division, Kyodo News Service）

Lectures on practical sustainable fisheries science:

• “MSC Eco-label for the Sustainability of Salmon” (Mitsuhiro Nagata, Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute of Hokkaido Research Organization)
• “Striving for Sustainable Fish Farming – Examination of Genes” (Shuichi Kitada, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology)
• “Sustainable Aquaculture from Space: Application of a Geographic Information System and Satellite Remote Sensing” (I Nyoman Radiarta, Hokkaido University Faculty of Fisheries Sciences)
• “Forefront of Aquaculture Technology That is Immune to Environmental Changes – Utilization of Heat-Transfer Pipes and Ozone” (Yasuhiro Takigawa, Acceptor Techno Inc.)
• “Challenge to Sustainable Fisheries – a Path to Sustainable Fisheries Viewed from Stock Markets” (Gakushi Ishimura, Hokkaido University Center for Sustainability Science)
• “Sustainable Coastal Fisheries and Marine Ecosystem Conservation – with Shiretoko as an Example” (Yasunori Sakurai, Hokkaido University Faculty of Fisheries Sciences)

Discussion:

• “Glocal sustainability?” (Moderator: Sei-ichi Saitoh, Hokkaido University Faculty of Fisheries Sciences)

audience members

speakers and organizers commemorate the event with a group photo

◆Download the presentation data：http://eprints.lib.hokudai.ac.jp/dspace/handle/2115/44246
（Link to Hokkaido University Scholarly and Academic Papers （HUSCAP）