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It gives me great pleasure
to be associated with the new Association of Underwater Naturalists
in Japan. For many years, since the military airport controversy
at Miyake-jima and the New Ishigaki Airport plan at Shiraho,
I have been deeply concerned about the general publicŐs ignorance
and associated apathy concerning the health of our oceans. Government
policies, not only in Japan, but worldwide, reflect this unfortunate
state of affairs.
Traditionally, those of
us with deep interests in the marine environment have been guilty
of directing our full attention toward our own particular specialized
interest. Mine, for example, has, for a long time, been the reproductive
ecology of reef fishes. Others specialize in fish classification,
corals, plankton, underwater nature photography, art, ocean journalism,
fish watching, etc. What we all share in common is both a love
of the ocean and a deep interest in its health. Current trends
concerning the health of the marine environment are not encouraging.
Soil runoff, PCBs, dioxine, global warming, excessive solar radiation
resulting from ozone depletion, oil spills, overuse and mismanagement
of ocean resources by our human population, etc., have combined
to endanger ocean wildlife globally.
The Association of Underwater
Naturalists in Japan offers us an opportunity to pool our resources,
our talents, our interests and our concerns and to cooperate
to provide information that will hopefully lead to a better understanding
of ocean systems by all humans, from government officials to
everyday people. We will be able to focus our research efforts
on specific marine environmental problems and to work for a better
understanding of our ocean environment. This Association brings
together concerned individuals from many disciplines. It offers
us a powerful network for sharing research and for information
dissemination.
It is a special pleasure
for me to have the opportunity to work again with my good friend
Dr. Yutaka Yogo, Chairperson of the committee. He spent many
weeks at my research station, The Tatsuo Tanaka Memorial Biological
Station at Miyake-jima, in the 1970s and early 1980s, while conducting
his doctoral research. We spent many unforgettable hours discussing
our research, sharing our favorite beer brands and our musical
tastes, and fully enjoying the excitement of being on the front
wave of fish behavioral research at that time. We work well together
and enjoy each otherŐs company. I am confident that our collaborations
with the Association of Underwater Naturalists in Japan will
be equally rewarding, productive and immensly enjoyable.
I look forward to a productive,
successful Association with numerous members.
Jack T. Moyer (Ph. D)
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