Yellow is Okay
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- Dec 14, 2023
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Japan is battling uncorroborated rumors stemming from a British tabloid that water released from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant killed tons of fish that have blanketed a shoreline in Hokkaido.
“We are concerned about the unsubstantiated information,” the Fisheries Agency said.
An estimated 1,200 tons of dead sardines and mackerel washed up on about a 1 kilometer stretch of the southern coastline of Hakodate city on Dec. 7.
The reason for the mass mortality is not known, but the Hokkaido Research Organization’s Hakodate fisheries experiment station said fish sometimes wash up in huge numbers due to sudden water temperature changes or when they are fleeing from dolphins and other predators.
The fish on the beach are believed to have been part of a school migrating south toward Honshu at this time of year, the station said.
The Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, suggested another reason for the mass deaths. It released a video noting that the fish had died three months after treated water was released from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Stunning images of the fish covering the beach have spread daily on social media, as have posts linking the discharged water to the fish deaths.
“There have been no abnormalities found in the results of water-monitoring surveys,” the Fisheries Agency’s propagation promotion division said. “We are concerned about the proliferation of information that is not based on scientific evidence.”
The Hakodate city government has received dozens of inquiries about the dead fish.
Locals have called mainly to offer advice or volunteer to collect and dispose of the fish, city officials said.
But some people are warning the city not to allow the fish to be eaten because they “may have died from the effects of the ALPS-treated water.”
Tokyo Electric Power Co. in August started releasing thousands of tons of water treated through the ALPS system at the nuclear plant.
The government, citing monitoring surveys, has said the water discharge is safe. It has also promised to take measures against rumors and false information that could hurt the livelihoods of fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture.
Hakodate city officials started disposing of the dead fish on Dec. 12 using heavy machinery.
Given the enormous volume of fish, the cleanup is expected to continue until the end of this month.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15082569
“We are concerned about the unsubstantiated information,” the Fisheries Agency said.
An estimated 1,200 tons of dead sardines and mackerel washed up on about a 1 kilometer stretch of the southern coastline of Hakodate city on Dec. 7.
The reason for the mass mortality is not known, but the Hokkaido Research Organization’s Hakodate fisheries experiment station said fish sometimes wash up in huge numbers due to sudden water temperature changes or when they are fleeing from dolphins and other predators.
The fish on the beach are believed to have been part of a school migrating south toward Honshu at this time of year, the station said.
The Daily Mail, a British tabloid newspaper, suggested another reason for the mass deaths. It released a video noting that the fish had died three months after treated water was released from the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Stunning images of the fish covering the beach have spread daily on social media, as have posts linking the discharged water to the fish deaths.
“There have been no abnormalities found in the results of water-monitoring surveys,” the Fisheries Agency’s propagation promotion division said. “We are concerned about the proliferation of information that is not based on scientific evidence.”
The Hakodate city government has received dozens of inquiries about the dead fish.
Locals have called mainly to offer advice or volunteer to collect and dispose of the fish, city officials said.
But some people are warning the city not to allow the fish to be eaten because they “may have died from the effects of the ALPS-treated water.”
Tokyo Electric Power Co. in August started releasing thousands of tons of water treated through the ALPS system at the nuclear plant.
The government, citing monitoring surveys, has said the water discharge is safe. It has also promised to take measures against rumors and false information that could hurt the livelihoods of fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture.
Hakodate city officials started disposing of the dead fish on Dec. 12 using heavy machinery.
Given the enormous volume of fish, the cleanup is expected to continue until the end of this month.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15082569
