**Changing Tides 1993-2007**.

**Changing Tides 1993-2007**.

In the mid-2000s, the effects of global warming were becoming clearer along the coast of Japan. In the waters of the Kinan region of Wakayama Prefecture, fluctuations in the Kuroshio Current and rising sea surface temperatures caused the once-abundant masaba (mackerel) to decline and warm-water sesame mackerel to gain momentum. Fluctuations in market prices and changes in fishing methods were inevitable, forcing fishermen to respond economically and technologically. In Aomori Prefecture, seaweed beds of cold-water kelp have shrunk and "isoyaki" has spread. Off the coast of Oma, too, the quality of the fishing grounds changed as the number of cold-water seaweeds declined. In the Seto Inland Sea, red tides occur during the winter, and there is an abnormal proliferation of plankton, which had been low during the low-temperature season. In addition to global warming, eutrophication, stagnation of ocean currents, and changes in precipitation patterns were all contributing to this
serious threat to the aquaculture industry.