【Adventure World】 “Panda Bamboo Project”: Bigfin reef squids have been spotted spawning in bamboo left over by pandas this year! Installation has also started in Kishiwada City, which has procured bamboo for the Circulation of Life Panda for four consecutive years.
Adventure World Press release: July 24, 2025 To the media “Panda Bamboo Project”: Bigfin reef squids have been spotted spawning in bamboo left over by pandas again this year! Installation has also started in Kishiwada City, which has procured bamboo for the Circulation of Life Panda for four consecutive years.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/40302/1011/40302-1011-c49cf1aa435b7aed85effb5dd06b5c65-790×588.jpg Adventure World (Shirahama-cho, Wakayama Prefecture) is pleased to announce that giant pandas have spawned again in the 2025 season in their spawning bed project, which uses bamboo left over from giant pandas. This marks the fourth consecutive year of successful spawning since the project began. In addition, on July 3rd, the first spawning bed was installed at a fishing port in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture. The installation was made using leftover bamboo that was prepared as the last meal for the pandas who returned to China on June 28th, and the baton of life has been passed on to a new stage. Points 1. Spawning has been successful for four consecutive years 2. Some of the egg masses are on display at Kyoto University Shirahama Aquarium again this year 3. The “last bamboo” left by the four pandas who returned home on June 28th was placed at the fishing port of Kishiwada City ■ Confirmation and exhibition of egg laying for the fourth consecutive year Of the 30 units installed in June at Ikoki Fishing Port in Shirahama Town, 22 have already been confirmed to have laid eggs. Some of the egg masses will be exhibited at Kyoto University’s Shirahama Aquarium, where visitors can see the process of the eggs hatching. Location: Shirahama Aquarium, Kyoto University
(Shirahama-cho, Wakayama Prefecture) Period: Wednesday, July 2, 2025 to late October After hatching, the baby squid are released into the sea, and the newly laid eggs are exhibited. Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Open all day. Exhibition: You can see the egg masses of the bigfin reef squid laid on the bamboo that the pandas left behind in the aquarium. If you’re lucky, you may be able to see the eggs hatch. Release: Hatching began in the tank on Sunday, July 13th, and as of Monday, July 21st, 705 fish had hatched and have already been released into nearby waters.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/40302/1011/40302-1011-e6453b45d7813bb1641b8a5746b5ecee-790×588.jpg Display at Kyoto University Shirahama Aquarium ■First installation in Kishiwada City For the first time this season, 21 bamboo beds were installed at the city’s fishing port in Kishiwada City, Osaka Prefecture, where bamboo for giant pandas to eat has been procured. They were used by 6th grade students from Kishiwada City Shusai Elementary School to create and install spawning beds using the last bamboo leaves from Kishiwada City that were left over before the pandas returned home. For the first time, the bamboo provided by Kishiwada City for many years will be used as a place to nurture new life in the sea of that land. In the future, we will conduct monitoring surveys to check for the presence of ovarian squid spawning and the presence of attached organisms. ■Future Plans ・We will continue to investigate the spawning situation and the seaweed and organisms attached to the 30 units installed at Ikoki Fishing Port in Shirahama Town and the 21 units at Kishiwada City Fishing Port. ・An environmental DNA survey (eDNA survey) will be conducted by Kyoto University. This cutting-edge survey method involves collecting and analyzing DNA from organisms floating in the sea, in order to ascertain the presence and population changes of bigfin reef squids and other fish, which run away when people approach and are difficult to identify in terms of type and number even in underwater surveys. We will scientifically verify how the marine biota has changed before and after the installation. ■Background of this activity and future prospects In the sea of Shirahama, the amount of seaweed suitable for spawning of bigfin reef squids is decreasing due to the rise in seawater temperature in recent years and the expansion of the distribution of algae-eating fish. Meanwhile, the increase in abandoned bamboo forests in Satoyama is an issue, and there is a demand for the management and utilization of bamboo. At Adventure World, felled bamboo has been used as food for giant pandas, but since pandas only eat some of the branches and leaves, a large amount of leftover food is generated. Since 2022, the remaining bamboo has been bundled together and sunk in the sea to be reused as a spawning bed for bigfin reef squids and a habitat base for small creatures. The pandas returned to China in June 2025, but this activity will continue as an ongoing project aimed at protecting the natural environment and collaborating with the local community. It has also been confirmed that bigfin reef squids prey on juvenile algae-eating fish, which may help prevent coastal erosion. In addition, snail shells and other creatures gather in the sunken bamboo, and it has been shown that the organic matter decomposed from the bamboo may contribute to nutrient circulation in the sea. While continuing to conduct research and utilization, we aim to build a wide-area environmental conservation model that connects Satoyama and Satoumi in collaboration with various entities such as local governments, educational institutions, local residents, and fishery-related parties. 【Co-hosted by】 Shirahama Town, Kishiwada City, Kyoto University Seto Marine Biological Laboratory 【Cooperation】 Aori Community, Osaka Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, Kishiwada Nature Museum, Kishiwada City Board of Education, Kishiwada City Shusai Elementary School, Inc. Kyohei Ship, Koide Ferry, Tribe Diving School, Hirome Lab, Wakayama Minami Fisheries Cooperative Association (in alphabetical order) Results of last season (2024) activities 1. Successful spawning and hatching of Bigfin Reef Squid – Spawning of Bigfin Reef Squid confirmed in most of the 64 units installed ・2,641 baby squids hatched from eggs exhibited at Kyoto University Shirahama Aquarium and were released into the wild
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/40302/1011/40302-1011-1a1441710793e4b7a2afaa083538b5ce-1942×564.jpg 2. Contribution to the coastal ecosystem ・Seaweeds growing on bamboo Seaweeds such as Shiwayahazu and Tamaitadaki were confirmed, and it was confirmed that they provide a base for seaweed growth ・Attached organisms Confirmed that crustaceans (crackle shells, barnacles), lugworms, and snail egg masses were attached to the bamboo ・Signs of ecosystem recovery Increase in seaweed → Increase in the population of small organisms → Expected to improve biodiversity
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/40302/1011/40302-1011-3ac29d3514997ff5641f2ef60744aacf-2052×1086.jpg 3. Results of outreach activities – During the exhibition at Kyoto University Shirahama Aquarium, a total of 19,281 people visited the aquarium, providing many people with an opportunity to experience our activities. ・Students from Shirahama Town’s Hioki Junior High School, Kishiwada City’s Shusai Elementary School, and Shirahama Town’s Tomita Elementary School also participated in the spawning bed construction and installation experience, providing a valuable learning opportunity to deepen their understanding of the coastal environment. 【Adventure World “SDGs Declaration and Park
Policy”】https://www.aws-s.com/parktheme-sdgs/ Adventure World is a place where we “look at life, continue to question it, and realize the beauty of life.” We embody the image of a rich future Earth where all life is filled with Smile (happiness). Through the “small Earth” that is the park, we will continue to create a Smile of the future so that the lives of all involved are enriched, the lives of animals are connected forever, and nature and resources are circulated and regenerated. 【About SDGs】 SDGs stands for “Sustainable Development Goals”. It consists of 17 goals and 169 targets to solve problems facing society and create a brighter future for the world by 2030. This is an international goal that was unanimously adopted by 193 member states at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in September 2015.
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