the species assemblage and thus the success of fisheries. For example, when the Oyashio current is well developed and protrudes southward, the cold waters are favorable for capturing sardines. Additionally, when larger meandering flow develops in the Kuroshio Current, sardine availability elevates due to the proximity of the Kuroshio to the southern spawning grounds of sardine. Thus, intrusion and flow paths of these currents affect presence, biomass, and catch of species such as pollock, sardine, and anchovy. Marine Reptiles Five out of the seven sea turtle species on earth, loggerheads (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea), and Olive ridleys (Lepidochelys olivacea), utilize the Kuroshio Current to access warm waters. Female sea turtles utilize the transport potential of the current to access the warm nesting beaches of Japan's shores, and adolescent green and hawksbill turtles utilize the current transport to access waters surrounding Japan. Marine Mammals Marine mammals such as seals, sea lions and cetaceans also make use of the high biodiversity within the Kuroshio Current. Charismatic megafauna odontocetes in this region include the Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus), common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli), Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) and the Killer whale (Orcinus orca). Three types of whales of the same genus (Balaenoptera) also use this rich area for feeding grounds, including the Common Minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), the Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis) and Bryde's Whale (Balaenoptera edeni). The availability of Japanese sardines and mackerel eggs, larvae, and juveniles are the baleen whales' primary food sources in these areas. Top-tier trophic predators can serve as units in developing conservation management in this region. Carbonate chemistry The ocean absorbs approximately one third of the CO2 produced by fossil fuel combustion, cement production, and deforestation. One of the more significant oceanic sinks for atmospheric CO2 is the Kuroshio Current. In its highly biologically productive regions, this uptake of CO2 is Carbon burial is facilitated by a strong biological pump. In the less productive northern current transition, the Kuroshio remains an important CO2 sink, through high CO2 solubility. The Kuroshio Extension region is classified as the strongest sink for atmospheric CO2 in the North Pacific. This is especially true in the winter when higher amounts of human-produced CO2 are taken up in the Kuroshio Extension region when compared with the summer. This is likely explained by cooler temperatures facilitating the solubility of