The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku was one of the biggest natural disasters humankind has ever experienced. Our mission is to ascertain the impact that the earthquake and tsunami had on the Tohoku coastal area and observe the subsequent process of transition over the course of time. Based on this information, we will clarify what is needed to restore the area’s fishing industry.

In order to execute this mission, the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI) of the University of Tokyo launched Project Grand Maillet, which is based in Otsuchi town. Otsuchi’s name means ‘big maillet’ in English and ‘grand maillet’ in French. Projet Grand Maillet is named after the first new research vessel built for the International Coastal Research Center since the disaster.

Project Grand Maillet is a part of Tohoku Ecosystem-Associated Marine Sciences (TEAMS), funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan (MEXT). AORI will carry out scientific research in close collaboration with Tohoku University and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC).

Projet Grand Maillet Web page