Collaborative research on marine plastic litter by training ships of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Nagasaki University, and Kagoshima University, and the Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, was recognized as an effort to establish a unified research method by applying the Fisheries Resources Research Method, and won the Technology Award of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Science on March 30, R5.

Title of Awarded Research

Standardization and Database Development of Marine Plastic Litter Research in the Offshore Seas around Japan

In order to investigate the actual situation and detailed distribution of plastic litter drifting and depositing on the seafloor in the offshore seas around Japan, which had been unresolved until now, they have established a joint research system using large training ships from four fisheries-related universities (Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Nagasaki University, and Kagoshima University).

Furthermore, by applying the methods of fishery resource research, they developed a marine litter research technology and established it as a unified research method. The research results were provided to the global marine litter database, and were recognized as opening up a new field in sustainable fisheries research.

Starting with a research on marine plastic litter in the offshore sea area by the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology and MPs analysis by Kyushu University in 2014, Hokkaido University, Nagasaki University, and Kagoshima University joined the research to expand the research network following the 2015 Elmau Summit.
As a result, a marine plastic litter research network covering a wide area of the sea around Japan has been established.

The Oshoro-maru, Hokkaido University’s training ship participates in this project.

For more information, please click here. *Go to the website of Hokkaido University.

Oshoro-maru (Training Ship)