Lecture at the 53rd Ocean and Sub-Ocean Engineering Forum
On October 16, 2015 at the 53rd Ocean and Sub-Ocean Engineering Forum, GOSEA Secretariat member Yukio Nakamura (Kumejima Town Project Office Director), gave a lecture titled “From Resource Poor to Treasure Island, Towards Realization of the Kumejima Model.”
Abstract
Off Kumejima’s eastern coast, since 2000, there has been the successful operation of Japan’s largest capacity deep seawater intake facilities (13,000 tons/day). The fishery sector on Kumejima has seen dramatic development recently, especially in Kuruma Shrimp and Sea Grape cultivation, of which Kumejima now has the largest market share in Japan. The factor allowing for the expanded growth is the availability of deep seawater.
Kumejima is now working with Okinawa Prefecture to research and develop the further use of deep seawater (cascade use) especially in energy and agriculture. This research is gaining attention from countries in the tropics and subtropics since many islands lack self sufficiency in “energy, food, and water.” In this lecture, Nakamura introduced the current situation, the challenges, and the future initiatives needed to develop advanced deep seawater use in the “Kumejima Model.”