Ariake Sea, surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, reminds me of the Chesapeake watershed on the US east coast in the 1970s: fed by parts of six states and the largest bay in the US, it became so polluted that its famed blue crabs and oysters were on the verge of extinction, and it wasn’t until an interstate commission was established that the decay was turned around.
Nori is to Ariake what blue crabs are to the Chesapeake: canary in the coal mine. Kumanichi reports that the winter harvest was down 50% from the previous year. This was blamed on heavy rains during the seeding period reducing seawater nutrition; I find that explanation malarkey. The sea has been progressively walled in, cutting it off from or eliminating estuaries vital to its health. The four prefectures surrounding Ariake must coordinate to effect solutions. If not, Ariake will become a simple hot, sterile bathtub, and the nori growers will have to look for new jobs. - William
