Suo-Nada Sea

This is the westernmost area of ​​the Seto Inland Sea, and is bordered to the west by the Kanmon Strait, and to the east by a line connecting Himeshima in Oita Prefecture and Iwaijima in Yamaguchi Prefecture, with the Iyo Nada Sea. The water depth is around 10 meters in the west and 20 to 40 meters in the east. The bottom is mostly muddy, and a submerged valley joins the Fushino River and Koto River offshore at the mouth of the river, extending eastward. The tidal current flows westward at low tide and eastward at high tide, at around 1 knot, but at the Kanmon Strait it can reach a maximum of 8 knots, making navigation difficult. The area is a good fishing ground for small bottom trawls, boat seine nets, and shellfish harvesting, and the catch is large for sardines, shrimp, flounder, and squid. Nori (seaweed) farming is thriving along the shallow coastline in the west. A group of coastal industrial cities has developed along the northern coast of Yamaguchi Prefecture, and the submerged islands around Tokuyama Bay are part of the Seto Inland Sea National Park.

[Hajime Miura]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

瀬戸内海の最西部の海域で、西は関門海峡、東は大分県姫島と山口県祝(いわい)島を結ぶ線で伊予(いよ)灘と境される。水深は西部では10メートル前後、東部で20～40メートル。底質はおおむね泥土で、椹野(ふしの)川や厚東(ことう)川の河口沖合いに沈水谷があって合流して東へ延びている。潮流は干潮時には西へ、満潮時には東へ流れ、1ノット前後で緩やかであるが、関門海峡で最高8ノットとなり、航行上の難所となる。海域は小型底引網、船引網、採貝の好漁場で、イワシ、エビ、カレイ、イカなどの漁獲が多い。西部の遠浅の沿岸ではノリ養殖が盛ん。北岸の山口県沿岸には臨海工業都市群が発達し、徳山湾一帯の沈水島群の地域は瀬戸内海国立公園の一部をなす。

［三浦　肇］

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