Small Cetaceans of Japan: Exploitation and Biology

This book summarizes and analyzes the biology, ecology, exploitation and management of small cetaceans in Japan. It describes the various types of cetacean fisheries in Japan and their historical development, the life histories and ecologies of the main species involved, and the history and problems of conservation and management. The data show that in some cases the number of small cetaceans harvested exceed sustainable limits and have led to depletion of populations. The book provides a case study of what can go wrong when the needs of industry and conservation collide. The descriptions of life history and ecology are relevant to issues of conservation and management, not just for cetaceans, but for all fisheries around the world.

Dr. Toshio Kasuya graduated in 1961 from the Division of Fisheries, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tokyo, and obtained his Doctorate in Agriculture from the University of Tokyo in 1972. Dr. Kasuya had a long career in many prestigious Japanese institutions related to fisheries and marine mammals conservation and management. From April 1961 to March 1966, he was a researcher at the Japanese Whales Research Institute. In April 1966 he joined the Ocean Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, where he was a Research Associate until March 1983. In April 1983 he joined the Far Seas Fisheries Research Laboratory of the Japanese Fisheries Agency where he exercised as Project Leader and later until March 1997 as Division Director. From April 1997 to March 2001, Dr. Kasuya has been a Professor at the Faculty of Bioresources, Mie University, and from April 2001 to March 2006 a Professor at the Division of Animal Sciences, Teikyo University of Science and Technology.