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Morita Lab
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A lab for resource and conservation research that explores the lives of fish through field surveys and mathematical models.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the lives of wild animals in the field
The Morita Lab studies the dynamics of populations and communities of aquatic organisms.
From rivers and coasts to the open ocean, the lab combines field surveys with mathematical models to investigate the evolution of life history and population fluctuations.
It also examines how human activities such as dams, invasive species, fishing, and stocking affect fish.
To leave precious aquatic organisms and nature to the next generation, the lab places importance on the perspective of conservation ecology.
Key terms
- Life history
- The overall pattern of how an organism grows and reproduces from birth to death
- Population
- A group of organisms of the same species living in the same place
- Conservation ecology
- A field of ecology that considers how to prevent the extinction of organisms and protect biodiversity
NewsLab news
Press release on research results involving the lab on hybridization of Dolly Varden on the Shiretoko Peninsula
Held a guidance session for prospective students of the Department of Aquatic Bioscience
Press release on research results on how climate change mitigation measures affect future hunger risk
A master's student received the Excellent Presentation Award at the master's thesis presentation of the Department of Aquatic Bioscience
Prof. Morita's book "Sakemasu Monogatari: Rethinking Fish Stocking" published by Chikuma Shinsho
ResearchResearch themes
Targeting populations and communities of aquatic organisms, the lab combines field surveys and mathematical models to study the evolution of life history and population dynamics. As human activities push many aquatic species to the brink of extinction, the lab values a conservation ecology perspective in order to leave precious organisms and nature to the next generation.
*Illustrative imageMigratory polymorphism in salmonid fishes
Many salmonid fishes have a resident form that spends its whole life in the river and an anadromous form that migrates to the sea and grows larger. The lab calculates which form is advantageous using life history models based on field observations.
*Illustrative imageSalmon stock fluctuations and resource management
The lab has shown that changes in Japan's salmon catch cannot be explained by artificial hatchery release alone, and that the effects of climate change cannot be ignored. It advocates a resource management approach that reconciles hatchery-released fish with wild fish.
*Illustrative imageEffects of dams on river fish
When rivers are fragmented by dams and weirs, the anadromous form can no longer breed upstream. Focusing on white-spotted char in Hokkaido, the lab has studied how fragmentation affects population persistence and fish mobility.
*Illustrative imageEcosystem models and sustainable food
Using models based on body size, the lab calculates the dynamics of biological communities and investigates how fisheries resources can contribute to sustainable food in the future.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Resource Analysis Group consist of faculty, postdocs, and doctoral and master's students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKentaro MoritaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorShujuan XiaPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
On a 4-point scale, ● marks where students' answers fall
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Oncorhynchus keta” Focus Saranpat Ouilapan / CC0 (cropped)
- Migratory polymorphism in salmonid fishes: “Smolt (Oncorhynchus masou masou)” Apple2000 / CC BY 3.0 (cropped)
- Salmon stock fluctuations and resource management: “Shimadomari-Fishing port Shimadomari Fishing Port 7030107” 我路・
幌内画像倉庫 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) - Effects of dams on river fish: “Tsurunumagawa Power Station Weir” photo: Qurren (talk) Taken with Canon IXY 430F (Digital IXUS 245 HS) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Ecosystem models and sustainable food: “Fish on a fish market in Fukuoka” Chester Siu / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Fisheries Resource Science Lab): “Underwater view of the sardine run as a dolphin hunts within dense schools of sardines” Stanislav Stelmakhovich / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (International Coastal Research Center · Biological Resource Regeneration Lab): “Hourai Islnd in Otsuchi” Ty19080914 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Fish Pathology Lab (Itoh Lab)): “Matoya Bay 01” Miyuki Meinaka / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Aquatic Physiology Lab): “Nihon Medaka in Medaka World of Higashiyama Zoo - 2” KKPCW / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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