On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Fisheries Oceanography

I would like to express my sincere congratulations on the 30th anniversary of the founding of Fisheries Oceanography.

At that time, Professor T. R. Parsons of the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Professor Takashige Sugimoto of the Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo led the preparations for the establishment of an international academic journal “Fisheries Oceanography (FOG)” with the aim of deepening the discipline of fisheries oceanography on a global scale. The Japanese Society of Fisheries Oceanography (JSFO) defines the main research areas of fisheries oceanography as (1) oceanographic conditions that define the distribution of fishery-useful species, (2) oceanographic tools for estimating the abundance of target species and the productivity of fishing grounds, (3) oceanographic conditions for predicting changes in distribution and abundance, and (4) oceanographic contributions to the enhancement and development of fishery productivity. There were growing expectations for the establishment of an international academic journal that would meet these requirements. Prior to the journal establishment, JSFO held the 30th Anniversary Symposium “Promising Fisheries Oceanography in Japan” in Japan in 1991, and in 1986, the 25th Anniversary Symposium “Fisheries and Fisheries Oceanography in the Coming Century” was held in Tokyo, inviting Dr. D. H. Cushing (UK) and Dr. R. Lasker (USA) as keynote speakers. These symposia gave the momentum to publish the journal with an association in Japan. In the end, FOG was first published by Blackwell Scientific Publications (UK) in 1992 with JSFO as the sponsoring association. Now published by John Wiley & Sons, FOG has been the international journal of the JSFO since 2001.

At that time, I had just started my research career and I remember that I had been supporting Professor Sugimoto in his efforts to encourage more important and cutting-edge papers to be submitted to the journal and to develop it into a high-level international academic journal. On this occasion of the 30th anniversary of FOG, it is with great emotion that I address you as the President of JSFO.

Researchers in fisheries oceanography are expected to develop research related to both fisheries and the ocean that is closely linked to the field of fishing, and FOG has the scent of fish and the scent of the ocean. FOG is a unique international academic journal, and it can be said to be an international academic journal that was inspired by Professor Michitaka Uda, the first president of the JSFO. The FOG not only strives for the exploration of fisheries oceanography as a basic science but has also made a great contribution to the development of fisheries oceanography by producing many talented human resources to educational/research institutions, government agencies, and industry. Many Japanese fisheries oceanographers have contributed to FOG, and I am very proud to be one of them.

On the other hand, the current situation surrounding the oceans is changing dramatically, as exemplified by the marine litter/plastic problem, the development of marine renewable energy, and global warming. In addition to exploring the universal principles of the natural world, there is an increasing need to develop research that integrates natural science with social science, such as international maritime law and ocean policy, in order to solve the various problems facing human society. Furthermore, in addition to the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a new marine legal order, such as the marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), is being sought, which will contribute to conservation of biological diversity, but may make free and open research even more difficult because many countries relate to the order and regulate each other too much, even for purely basic scientific inquiry. FOG is expected to continue to make a significant role to the development of fisheries oceanography, but it will also be required to conduct research that directly contributes to measures for the sustainable use of marine living resources.

The Japanese Society of Fisheries Oceanography will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2022. The JSFO is committed to contributing to the further development of Fisheries Oceanography, and we hope that FOG will continue to be a bridge that connects fisheries oceanographers around the world.

At the end of this article, I would like to wish FOG continued success.