Usefulness of 'gyotaku' for conservation and citizen sciences

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K16225
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental and ecological symbiosis
• Research Institution: Shiraumegakuen College
• Principal Investigator: Miyazaki Yusuke 白梅学園短期大学, 保育科, 講師(移行) (10721631)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 魚拓 / Citizen Science / 過去の生物多様性情報 / 博物館資料 / 種同定 / 釣り業界

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The Japanese cultural art of gyotaku, which means “fish impression” or “fish rubbing” in English, captures accurate images of fish specimens, and has been used by recreational fishermen and artists since the Edo Period (the oldest known gyotaku was made in 1839). Gyotaku images often include distributional information, i.e., locality and sampling date. To determine the extent and usefulness of these data, field and questionnaire surveys targeting leisure fishing and boating stores and museums were conducted. Based on the result of a state space model, the peak number of gyotaku stocked at the leisure fishing shops was made in 2002, while ones made before 1985 were much fewer. The present study demonstrates the validity of examining gyotaku for historical biodiversity information. Additionally, validations of the identifications sourced from the gyotaku sheets have been also attempted by external morphology and molecular analyses.

Free Research Field

保全生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、現在では取得不可能な過去の生物多様性情報を、残されている市民が所有する資料・史料から発掘と再構築を試みたものとして位置づけられる。とりわけ、水圏生態系の不健全化の進行は地球レベルで起こっており、日本も例外ではない。不足する過去の生物多様性情報の充実と整理は、適切な生物多様性保全の施策や再生の目標を掲げるうえで欠かせない。
また、Citizen Scienceのプロジェクトでは、広域・大規模 データの取得を目的とするものが主体で、市民がその参加によって科学への貢献に繋がることを明確に意識されている。本研究では市民が科学的な貢献を意図しない生物多様性情報も科学に貢献し得ることを明示した。