History

History of Faculty of Fisheries

Fisheries education and researches at Kagoshima University were established at the College of Fisheries founded in 1946. In 1949, the College was reorganized as the Faculty of Fisheries. The Faculty of Fisheries originally consisted of the Capture Fisheries Department comprising fishing gear technology and fisheries business management, and Food Science and Technology Department. In 1968, the Aquaculture Department was established within the Faculty. In 1975, the Faculty unified the three departments to form the Department of Fisheries with eight specialized fields:

• 1.Ocean Physical Environment
• 2.Marine Biology
• 3.Fisheries Resources and Farming Biology
• 4.Marine Resource Chemistry
• 5.Marine Food Science
• 6.Fishing Technology
• 7.Fishing Navigation and Seaman ship
• 8.Marine Social Science

In 1997, these eight specialized fields were reshuffled into three programs for students:

• 1.General Fisheries Science
• 2.Science and Technology for Exploitation of Fisheries Resources
• 3.Biological and Chemical Sciences of Fisheries Resources

In 2007 six fields for students education were established:

• 1.Fisheries Biology and Oceanography
• 2.Aquaculture
• 3.Biochemistry and Technology of Marine Food and Resources
• 4.Fisheries Economics
• 5.Fisheries Engineering
• 6.Course for Fishery-Teacher Accreditation

The Faculty of Fisheries offers students an integrated curriculum on general, basic and fisheries sciences throughout the four-year program.
The Master's degree program in Fisheries began at the Graduate School of Fisheries in 1969. The United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences at Kagoshima University was established in 1988 in cooperation with Saga and Miyazaki Universities, and the University of the Ryukyus joined in 1991. The School confers Doctor's degrees in Agriculture or Fisheries Science upon candidates who fulfill the degree requirements under supervision by school members of the cooperating universities.
The Faculty of Fisheries has two training vessels; Kagoshima-Maru and Nansei-Maru. These vessels are equipped with modern facilities for on-board training and researches.
In April 2000, the Education and Research Center for Marine Resources and Environment was established to offer extensive facilities for education and researches in marine and fishery sciences for students and staff of the Faculty and external organizations. The former Fisheries Onshore Research Station, which was founded in 1972 on Nagashima Island, is now part of the Center.
The Faculty publishes "Memoirs of the Faculty of Fisheries Kagoshima University" with annual contributions of the faculty members.
Many foreign students from a variety of countries have been studying at the Faculty of Fisheries. The Faculty opened the first overseas liaison office in the campus of the University of the Philippines in Visayas in 2005.