Ariake Sea

The Ariake Sea (有明海, Ariake-kai) is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan.

Various species of fauna, including mudskippers, pen shells (Atrina pectinata), and fiddler crabs, live in the Ariake Sea.

[1] In addition to being used for fishing, every year around the end of May, the flats at Kashima serve as the venue for the Gatalympics, a novelty sports event.

Recent years have brought increasing pollution, with resultant red tides.

There is ongoing land reclamation, as evidenced by satellite imagery, despite government attempts to dissuade farmers from carrying out the activity.