Environmental Problems and Environmental Management of Japanes

The coastal marine environment of Japan is characterized by its high biological productivity, which contributes to generally high fishery yields. However, both the productivity of coastal ecosystems and coastal fisheries are being threatened by substantial changes in the coastal marine environment. This situation is making it increasingly imperative to take an ecosystems approach to management of the coastal marine environment. Pollution due to rapid industrial development and urbanization, and engineering project are the primary causes of the degraded condition of the coastal environment. The goal of this paper is to briefly describe some of the present environmental problems in Japanese coastal waters, especially in relation to the fishing industry, and to discuss mitigation and management of these problems from an ecosystem perspective.