October 25, 2007

Why do I support commercial whaling?

Q1. Why do you support Japanese whaling?
A1. Whaling issue is one of a few issues that I support Japan Government. Managed whaling is sustainable use, which is global standard. The revised management procedure that was agreed in International Whaling Commission (Scientific Committee) is very conservative. Japan agreed with such a conservative catch limit. The next important problem is to enforce this agreed catch limit. If so, Japan Government will face on a big accountability to the world. This is a good experience of adaptive management.

Q2. How do you think about scientific whaling of Hampback whales?
A2. Why are you nervus about Hampback whales rather than minke whales? The anti-whaling people may recognize anti-whaling as a symbol of environmental conservation. However, American and Australian people has much bigger ecological footprints than Japanese and European people. A quater century ago, American people criticized Japanese for living a rabit hatch. However, living in a small house is definitely environment-friendly. American people still live in bigger houses and criticize managed whaling.

A3. There are two types of managed whaling, coastal traditional whaling and antarctic whaling. The former is my first priority. Coastal whaling is endangered. We should conserve not only species but also diversity of local cultures. TThe latter is also important because a good experience of adaptive management practice. Theory and discussion do not solve enviromental problem.

Ecological management issues in Japan

Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:28:04 +0900
Now I am comitting several ecological management issues in Japan:
1) deer management in Hokkaido Island
2) deer and fisheries management in Shiretoko World Heritage
3) bear management in Oshima Pennynsula, Hokkaido
4) deer management in Yakushima World Heritage
5) Steller's sea lions catch limit in Hokkaido
6) Adaptive avian collision management in windfarms
7) Optimal eradication program of exotic mangoose in Amami Island
Your mathematical approach in spatial ecology and community ecology is useful to us.
I look forward to seeing you in the next chance!
Cheers,Hiroyuki Matsuda

Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 10:17:54 +0900
Dear Dr Shea and Dr Bjornstad
I am glad to send this email to you. I deeply enjoyed Shea et al.'s review article in TREE on adaptive population management, and made a special symposium at U. of Tokyo in 1999, inviting fisheries, conservation and insect pest control scientists. I made a web site of "study notebook" from this paper.
http://risk.kan.ynu.ac.jp/matsuda/1999/Shea.html
Now I am the Leader of the only one Global COE Program in the ecology area (one of the 63 programs in the all science fields http://risk.kan.ynu.ac.jp/gcoe/). Now I am interested in adaptive ecosystem management (my tentative result suggests this is very dangerous).
I am sorry but I have a lecture in Noto (SATOYAMA Meister Program) on these days. I must visit Sapporo on 22nd. My graduate student, Tet Akita, is going to Johsankei Meeting. He takes you in the sightseeing Tokyo area. He will talk about Evolution and effects of sex ratio in pollen coupled monoecy trees. He is intrested in Dr Bjornstad's works.
I think you will be very tired after Pop Ecol Meeting. If you can, we willingly arrange your informal (or formal) seminar in the evening of either 23rd, 24th or 25th at Yokohama.