Symposium Poster

Within thirty years, most of our oceans’ edible fish will be gone. This is what experts are saying about our current rate of consumption and destruction of the marine environment.

Many of those experts were at The Nippon Foundation Building in Tokyo today, for a symposium on the rapid depletion of ocean life around the world and its effect on our food supply. The symposium was the second in a series held jointly by The Nippon Foundation and The University of Tokyo Ocean Alliance (UTOA).

UTOA is Japan’s largest think tank in the field of ocean related issues, and describes itself as a trans-disciplinary network of ocean research and education. While the university has traditionally hosted a number of departments that touch on ocean research, they have been scattered throughout the engineering, arts and science fields. The Alliance is an attempt to remove the barriers between these various groups and enable them to work more cohesively.

As a part of this effort, UTOA and The Nippon Foundation have joined together to host a series of symposia entitled, “Danger Encroaching the Kitchen Table.” Today’s meeting focused on the rapid depletion of tuna and eel, two central items in the Japanese diet. Experts lectured on the topic, from the current state of affairs to international political issues. Following that was a lively panel discussion.

The issue of our vanishing marine resources is of critical importance, as it is estimated that we are talking, not about devastation within our children’s lifetime, but our own. For this reason, The Nippon Foundation strongly supports this important initiative aimed at finding a sustainable way forward.