MINAMATA BAY

'Minamata Bay' is bay on the west coast of Kyūshū island, located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. The bay is part of the larger Shiranui Sea which is sandwiched between the coast of the Kyūshū mainland and the offlying islands of Kumamoto and Nagasaki prefectures.
The coastline is ragged, with many inlets and coves which act as the spawning grounds of fish and shellfish. A great variety of creatures live in this area.
Minamata Bay was heavily polluted in the 1950's and 1960's by wastewater dumped into Hyakken Harbour from the Chisso Corporation's factory in Minamata, particularly by methyl mercury. The highly toxic compound bioaccumulated in fish and shellfish in the bay which, when eaten by the people living around the bay, gave rise to Minamata disease. More than 10,000 people were affected.