About AMS

Akkeshi Marine Station of Hokkaido University is located on the shore of Akkeshi Bay, on the Pacific Coast of the eastern part of Hokkaido Island, Japan. It was founded in 1931 for biological research on marine animals and plants in this region and it is operated on a year-round basis.

Akkeshi Bay is connected with a shallow estuary, Akkeshi-ko, at the bayhead and with the Pacific Ocean at the bay-mouth. Most of its coast is rocky shore, although it also has some sandy beaches. At off the southeast coast of Hokkaido including Akkeshi Bay, the cold current 'Oyashio' flows down from Bering Sea through Kamchatka. This area and its vicinity have a rich fauna and flora of boreal species, which indicates characteristic features different from the other marine stations in Japan. Thus, this is the only one biological station in Japan which is engaged in biological research on marine animals and plants of subarctic species.

This station had belonged previously to the Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University. But now, it belongs to FIELD SCIENCE CENTER FOR NORTHERN BIOSHPERE, HOKKAIDO UNIVERSITY, since April 2001. This station can host graduate students, both in master and doctor courses, who are willing to study marine ecology, environmental biology, biogeography, and other related fields, and post-doctoral fellows of the related fields.

Contact us

Aikappu 1, Akkeshi, Hokkaido 088-1113, Japan

Phone: +81-153-52-2056　Fax: +81-153-52-2042