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Sanriku Fukkō NP, Miyagi
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Cold Oyashio water and the warm Kuroshio and Tsugaru currents mingle here. That unusual mix lets cold-water makombu kelp and warm-water arame grow in the same bay, near the edges of both species’ ranges.
Registered in 2018, Shizugawa Bay became Japan’s first Ramsar wetland recognized for its seaweed beds. The marine wetland covers 5,793 hectares within Sanriku Fukkō National Park.
More than 100 black brants winter in Shizugawa Bay each year. They feed on eelgrass and green algae, while nearby rocky reefs give them places to rest—a reminder that the coastal habitat is more than kelp forest alone.
On designated spring harvest days, locals gather wild funori, hijiki and matsumo from rocky shores. Fresh funori is deep green; it dries almost black, then can turn red again as it absorbs moisture—and it still tastes good in miso soup.
Shizugawa Bay has 4 distinct underwater habitats: kelp, arame, Sargassum and eelgrass beds. More than 200 seaweed and seagrass species grow here, providing food or shelter for over 700 marine-animal species.
Near Tsubaki Island, about 4 km offshore, Japan’s Monitoring Sites 1000 program has tracked seaweed beds since 2008. Records show the 2011 tsunami changed them; the beds have since been recovering.
