Japanese researchers welcome Nomeites aboard Oshoru Maru

A Japanese fisheries science research vessel from Hokkaido University was docked in the Port of Nome last week and welcomed local scientists and members of the press onboard on July 10 for a tour. 
The ship’s visit is supported by Arctic Challenge for Sustainability III, a program at Hokkaido University that works with researchers across all fields to contribute to sustainable development and conservation of the Arctic.
The Oshoro Maru last visited Nome in 2023, although it didn’t welcome visitors aboard at the time. This time, they invited community members aboard for a tour of the ship, including the bridge, laboratory and foredeck. 
Then visitors were welcomed into the cafeteria for a presentation on the ship’s research and an open-floor discussion with the university students aboard the ship.
Chief Scientist Kohei Matsuno explained that while in transit, the ship conducted research on surface water, ocean currents, used sonar to find fish and kept track of whales and seabirds spotted from aboard. At monitoring stations along their route, they did hydrographic surveys, looked at sea ice and did surveys of plankton, fish larva, fish on the lower levels of the ocean and seafloor sediment. 
Many of the samples collected were stored for scientists back in Japan for future research. One method of sampling used was a plankton net, a long, cone shaped net dipped into the water for 20 minutes at a time. Scientist Takahito Ikenoue explained that he used the plankton net to look at microplastics in the water.
Matsuno showed the visitors two jars of sampled plankton, one collected from the Bering Strait and one from further north. The Bering Strait sample jar had noticeably more algae. 
UAF Alaska Sea Grant MAP Agent Gay Sheffield explained that the algae was an example of how strong the base of the food chain in the Bering Strait is. “That shows how productive we are, how rich we are in our ocean algae here,” she said. 
In an interview with the Nugget, Matsuno explained that one reason to do fisheries research so far from his home waters is that Japan imports many types of fish and seafood from this side of ocean. He said that the vessel is monitoring ocean conditions in the Arctic and studying how climate change impacts the ocean ecosystems.
Matsuno said that the trend he’s noticed over his years of arctic research is borealization, where subarctic species move north. “The change is not only the ecosystem, also the water current, water mass, also the temperature size, or the changes to the more subarctic stations,” he said.
He said that they’ve detected subarctic plankton and fish communities are moving north. “Maybe northern community, other species, their habitat shrinks,” he said.
 
Many of the students aboard the vessel were not marine science students, and were instead studying business, the arts or many other different majors. Fujio Ohnishi, a researcher in political science and international relations at the Arctic Research Center at Hokkaido University, oversaw students onboard the ship. He said that for him, this was less a research trip and more an educational opportunity. “This is good opportunity for students to deepen their knowledge or understand the importance of the Arctic science, and for the researchers, also important opportunity to understand [the] societal side of our research,” he said. 
“We conduct oceanographic research and provide practical education for students. Through our work, we aim to better understand the ocean and contribute to the sustainable use of marine resources,” explained the ship’s Captain Keiichiro Sakaoka, when welcoming guests.
When the sea ice extent experienced record lows in 2007 and 2012, the Japanese government took notice and began to explore the scientific and economic potential of the Arctic.“Research is one pillar, and the second is expanding cooperation with the Arctic nations, and the third one is understanding sustainable use of resources,” Ohnishi said. He explained that bringing a wide variety of students broadened the scope of the trip from scientific research to an opportunity to understand the societal impacts of research, climate change and the chance to understand local views and issues. He said this was the first time they had met with locals, despite traveling to the region before. He said it gives them incentives to conduct research. “Then our data and your knowledge can communicate with each other. This is just first steps,” he said.
Students aboard the Oshoro Maru asked a wide variety of questions of the visitors. One student asked about the current presidential administration’s push to develop natural gas resources. 
A student studying economics had questions about Alaska’s local option system, where individual communities can ban the sale and import of alcohol. Another student asked what the local people will gain and lose if the shipping routes through the Arctic become more active. 
Bill Tweit, a consultant for Nome Eskimo Community and former member of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council, responded that Nome was the best place in the U.S. Arctic to ask that question. He said that increased development comes with more jobs and economic development as well as increased risks.
“There will be more industrial shipping, and I think many of the people of Nome recognize the inevitability but want to have the scientific basis to understand the risks and mitigate for those as much as possible and develop in a precautionary way,” he said. “Without the kind of work you’re doing, that would be much more difficult.”
The Oshoro Maru departed Nome on July 11.