Tama River - Wildlife

Wildlife

Rapid post-war urbanisation of surrounding areas took its toll on Tama River, whose water quality in the urban areas plummeted from 1950's onwards rendering it uninhabitable for most species. Pollution control measures and the river's official designation as a wildlife protection zone have now led to the return of many species.

Carp, rainbow trout, cherry salmon, iwana (char), ugui (big-scaled redfin) and ayu all inhabit Tama River in sufficient numbers for limited commercial fishing to take place in upstream areas. Recent moves to fit weirs with fish ladders have resulted in a steep increase in the numbers of ayu migrating upstream. Other fish such as loach inhabit the river, as do crabs, turtles and crayfish.

Kingfishers, White Wagtails, Spotbills, Japanese White-eyes, and Black-headed Gulls are among birds often seen at the river. Various types of ducks have made a comeback after the 1969 designation of the river as a wildlife protection zone. The expanse of greenery between the levees and the river itself attract additional wildlife.

In the summer of 2002, Tama-chan, a normally arctic male bearded seal first spotted in Tama River, became a major nationwide celebrity.

In recent years the Tama River has been settled by a larger number of non-native species including tropical fish like Piranhas. It is assumed that this became possible because of higher water temperature of river due to global warming and waste water from sewage treatment plants. Those higher temperature now allow tropical pet fish being abandoned by their owners to survive the cold Japanese winters.