Notsuke-hanto and Notsuke-wan
- Country:Japan
- Site number:1552
- Area:6,053 ha
- Designation date:08-11-2005
- Coordinates:43°34'N 145°15'E
Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Overview
The Site comprises the largest sand spit in Japan, a narrow fish-hook shaped peninsula (Notsuke-hanto), and a bay formed between the sand spit and the main island of Hokkaido (Notsuke-wan). It features salt marshes which are dominated by a dune grass species (Leymus mollis) and sand dunes which are covered with Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa) and a herb layer of multiple species including white clovers (Trifolium repens). The Site is regularly visited by more than 20,000 waterbirds, including whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus), brent goose (Branta bernicla) and greater scaup (Aythya marila). Notably, over 8,000 brent geese were recorded during the autumn season in 2018, making the Site the largest migratory stopover of the species in East Asia. Eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds span the bay, providing spawning and nursery grounds to fish and crustaceans. This repository of fishery resources enables the practice of traditional trawl net sailboat fishing which has continued since the Meiji era, in which the main catch is the Hokkai shrimp (Pandalus latirostris).
Administrative region:
Hokkaido Prefecture
- National legal designation:
- National Wildlife Protection Area NWPA
- Last publication date:14-06-2024