The current state of Shuttles Hoppfish in Tokyo Bay

Protecting Shuttles Hoppfish of Tokyo Bay

Shuttles Hoppfish is a fish that spends most of its life on land in muddy tidal flats, and Tokyo Bay is its northernmost habitat in Japan. In the past, the inner part of Shuttles Hoppfish Bay was covered with vast tidal flats, and it seems that many Shuttles Hoppfish lived there.
However, due to landfilling and water pollution caused by large-scale development during the period of high economic growth, the population Shuttles Hoppfish has decreased, and it is now an endangered species.

Since its opening, Tokyo Sea Life Park (hereafter referred to as the "Aquarium") has been working to breed Shuttles Hoppfish in its aquariums in order to protect the endangered species.

Furthermore, the aquarium has been conducting various biological surveys, including beach seine surveys, to understand the habitats of living creatures in the waters off its shores since 1994. As part of this, in 2003 a survey of Shuttles Hoppfish habitat was started on the artificial tidal flat "Higashi Nagisa" in front of the aquarium.

Initially, surveys were conducted only at the Aquarium, but in 2011 the "Shuttles Hoppfish Conservation Facility Liaison Committee" was established in collaboration with museums and bird watching facilities located in the inner part of Tokyo Bay, and Shuttles Hoppfish Simultaneous Surveys are being conducted throughout Tokyo Bay. Since the committee's launch, the Aquarium has begun conducting surveys not only at Higashi Nagisa, but also at the mouth of the Arakawa River.

To mark the 5th anniversary of the founding of this association, we have compiled the results of our activities into a booklet entitled "The Current Shuttles Hoppfish in Tokyo Bay." We hope that this booklet will help you understand at least a little about Shuttles Hoppfish in Tokyo Bay and their current situation.
We will continue our research activities in cooperation with the association to help protect Shuttles Hoppfish in Tokyo Bay.