Six years of collaboration between the Japan Consumers' Co-op Union and WWF: Behind the Scenes of Indonesia's Certification (Part 2)
2025
Satoko Seino is an associate professor at the Ecological Engineering Laboratory at Kyushu University Graduate School. Previously, she worked as a marine biologist at the University of Tokyo, where she conducted research on ancient marine organisms such as horseshoe crabs. She also participated in numerous legal and technical councils and expert meetings for the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Cabinet Office, and the Fisheries Agency, as well as local government plans and measures related to the marine environment.
In 2010, he moved to Fukuoka Prefecture and became a researcher at the Kyushu University Graduate School. In addition to teaching, he is also involved in the marine education project "Kyushu University Umi Tsunagi" (https://umitsunagi.jp/about) and currently participates in various advisory councils and expert meetings.
We asked Seino about the current state of Japan's fisheries industry from his perspective, including why he decided to leave his research at the University of Tokyo and move to Kyushu, and the challenges and efforts facing Tsushima, an island in Kyushu that is particularly focused on research.
Satoko Seino
Born in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture. Discovered the joys of coastal walks at the age of three and set his sights on becoming a researcher. Graduated from the Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo in 1989. Completed a Master's course in Fisheries Science at the Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo in 1991. Doctor of Engineering. After working as an assistant and assistant professor at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, he became an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Society, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University in 2010. His specialties are coastal, coastal and watershed environmental conservation and ecological engineering.
--Please tell us about your specialty, "ecological engineering."
Ecological engineering is a field that lies at the border between ecology and engineering. In particular, the laboratory I belong to specializes in civil engineering, so it is a field that combines ecology and civil engineering. It is a relatively new field that was created in the 1997s, when social systems changed with the revision of the River Law in 1999 and the Coast Law in 1990.
Originally, places where humans lived were made of natural materials such as earth, wood, and stone, but modern civil engineering has led to large-scale development using concrete and steel, destroying natural ecosystems to create places for humans. As a result, problems such as the heat island effect, water and air pollution, and the depletion of natural resources have arisen, leading to an increase in natural disasters.
The field of ecological engineering was born out of the fact that humanity is now in a precarious position where it is no longer possible to protect nature, even if that means preserving it.
What first got you interested in ecological engineering?
I originally specialized in fisheries science, studying the ecology of horseshoe crabs and squids. However, I was shocked when the area where I was studying horseshoe crabs was to be reclaimed. I realized that I was living in an extraordinary time when horseshoe crabs, which had been around for 2 million years, before the appearance of dinosaurs, were becoming an endangered species.
I then became interested in why humans reclaim land and the mechanisms by which society alters rivers and the ocean, and began researching that field.
Fisheries science in Japan is centered on science and has hardly dealt with laws and systems related to fisheries. On the other hand, civil engineering allows you to research the means to connect basic science, including systems, with social mechanisms, so I came to specialize in ecological engineering.
--You left your position at the University of Tokyo, moved from Tokyo to Fukuoka, and became an associate professor at Kyushu University. Why did you choose Kyushu as your research field?
First, I wanted to know what was happening on the ground.
From 1996 to 2010, I was in Tokyo involved in the revision and enactment of the River Law, Coast Law, Port Law, Basic Fisheries Law, and Basic Ocean Law, and I spent every day discussing with bureaucrats and researchers. Although it was rewarding to be involved in the design of systems, I was not able to know what was happening on the ground. Although I had the opportunity to go to fishing villages for a week or two between work, I thought that I could not understand the atmosphere and way of thinking of the land unless I lived there.
There are fishing villages in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, which are close to Tokyo, but Kyushu was by far the most dynamic place for me, and I found it attractive as a research subject. Kyushu is close to Korea, China, and Taiwan, and is an international area in the field of fisheries. It is a place where an "international" consciousness is embedded in society, such as the formation of consensus with other countries on resource management and environmental issues such as marine litter coming from overseas.
I believe that by actually living in Kyushu, one can get a real sense of how society is changing, influenced not only by situations in one's own country but also by situations overseas.
--What area in Kyushu are you particularly focusing on for your research?
The islands are Tsushima in Nagasaki Prefecture, located near the Korean Peninsula; Munakata, located halfway between Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City; Goto, located in the western part of Nagasaki Prefecture; and Hakata Bay and Itoshima, both near the university.
Tsushima in particular is an area I have had a relationship with since I began working on marine litter issues and the establishment of the Basic Act on Ocean Policy around 2007. Since around 2003, discussions on biodiversity have become more active both domestically and internationally, and I have had many discussions with NGOs, particularly regarding the positioning of marine protected areas in Japan. When we were to include provisions on the establishment of marine protected areas in the Basic Act on Ocean Policy, I thought that the first place to develop a marine protected area in Japan should be Tsushima, where the local people are aware of the need for new policies for the marine environment.
Tsushima is located near the border, so ships from other countries enter the surrounding seas and take up marine resources, and the people of Tsushima say, "We cannot protect this sea through fishery negotiations alone." Fishery negotiations are centered on each country's catch volume and fishing season, so they alone cannot solve the problem of other countries' ships entering the seas.
In that respect, marine protected areas are intended to conserve and utilize the ocean from a comprehensive perspective, not just for fishing negotiations, so I thought Tsushima would be the place to implement the marine protected area system. Discussions on the issue began around 2008, and in 2009 it was brought up in the Tsushima City Council.
If we had progressed this far, I thought we needed to move closer to Tsushima and thoroughly work on civil engineering policies, etc., closer to the people involved, rather than having discussions in faraway Tokyo. That was another reason why we moved to Kyushu.
What can be caught in Tsushima--What other issues does Tsushima face besides fishing boats from overseas?
One of the biggest issues is overfishing by purse seine boats. Even protesting against it brought pressure, so the problem was not well known in the public. Tsushima was one of the areas that raised its voice.
However, there are other issues on the island as well. There are three main levels of issues: issues on the island such as population decline, issues in the coastal waters such as coastal denudation, and issues in the open seas where migratory fish and squid live, and we are all working together to find solutions to these issues.
It has been about 15 years since I started my research in Tsushima, and the state of the marine environment and fishery resources has only gotten worse. However, on the other hand, Tsushima's fishermen and other residents have continued to think about what they can do and how they can solve marine issues themselves, and have gradually reflected this in city policies.
In addition, the "Tsushima Glocal University" was opened in 2020, and offers online lectures, online seminars, joint research, etc. for Tsushima residents and people with ties to the island. The lecture content also includes fisheries, and it has become a forum for discussion between fishermen and other residents.
--What are your goals for Tsushima?
Fishermen working to restore the fish farms of Tsushima
It's the spontaneity and intrinsic motivation of fishermen and other residents. Until now, fisheries on remote islands have been supported largely by government subsidies. Money is of course necessary, but I would like them to work harder, such as by investigating the ocean themselves and carrying out activities that allow them to create something with their own efforts. To that end, we are working to create an environment in which everyone can cooperate by creating opportunities for education and collaboration with local residents and gradually expanding the circle of people.
We believe that the fisheries industry can only solve problems by interacting with society and participating in its dynamism, rather than remaining confined to the world of fisheries and remaining in an ivory tower.
Interviewed and written by: Shino Kawasaki
After planning and editing corporate advertisements at a design office, she became a freelance writer, copywriter, and food coordinator in 2016. She writes for a variety of media, including women's magazines published by major publishers, food and beverage magazines and websites, and medical information websites.
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