Seaside Story
The Shiranui Sea (Shiranuikai) experienced Minamata disease for the first time in the world.
The Shiranui Sea was said to be “a sea from which spring fish” before the incidents of Minamata disease.
In his book, “Inochi no Tabi” Journey of Life - the Footsteps of Minamata Studies pp. 256-257, Dr. Masazumi Harada points out that the tidal area, which enjoys three kinds of nature: sea, river and land, is a place of birth. The gifts from all such natural features were used to enrich people’s lives there.
What kinds of living creatures have come out in Modo Bay since 1968 when Chisso Corporation stopped the discharge of wastewater? The citizens in Minamata and some researchers joined together and established the Study Group for the Minamata Area in March, 2013. They started examining the living creatures at the seashores and the outlets in Minamata. They have investigated the quality of the water, the soil and the bottom deposits at some definite points in the areas damaged by previous pollution. At the same time, they have tried to study how much the once destroyed environment has regenerated. Here you can see what we have come across in the form of the creatures at the seaside of Minamata. We believe such activities can help the local people preserve the environment by themselves and enrich it. In this way, they can utilize the negative asset that is Minamata disease for their better future.
