Recap: The 2nd Information Exchange Meeting of the Sea Slug Research Society of Japan

On March 6, 7, and 8, 2026, the "2nd Information Exchange Meeting of the Sea Slug Research Society of Japan (Research Presentation Meeting)" was held in Kagoshima and concluded successfully. As one of the organizers, I was deeply involved in running the event. We were thrilled that sea slug enthusiasts from across the country joined us for what became a very fulfilling gathering. To everyone who attended, and to all the wonderful presenters: thank you so much.

Day 1 (March 7): Shore observation

Considering the timing of flights and low tide, we held shore observation on the first day. We chartered a bus and observed the shore around Daiba Park in Makurazaki.

Time flew by while we focused on searching, and we found over 40 species of sea slugs. Looking at the photos of collected specimens later, I realized there were several species I had never seen myself — frustrating to have missed them.

Day 2 (March 8): Information exchange

Starting early in the morning at Kagoshima University, the information exchange brought together over 50 people for 15 presentations.

Detailed presentation contents are private, but as before they were extremely diverse: valuable records of regional sea slug fauna, embryology, large-scale regenerative abilities, DNA barcoding, and molecular phylogenetic analyses. A very rich time.

See you next time in Tsuruoka, Yamagata

Thanks to everyone, this gathering also concluded safely and was a tremendous success. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who took part. The many ideas I gained will be properly fed back into the operation of "SEASLUG.WORLD" going forward.

 Next time, we will meet in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture!

I look forward to seeing you all again at another lively venue for information exchange. Thank you for your continued support.