Expanding fishing operations

September 10, 2012

Fishermen expand test catches off Fukushima

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120910_12.html

Fishermen in Fukushima Prefecture have expanded their test catches to 10 types of marine products, 18 months after the nuclear accident.

A fleet of 11 fishing boats left a port in Soma City early on Monday.

Commercial fishing restarted on an experimental basis off Fukushima Prefecture in June. Catches were limited to one type of shellfish and 2 kinds of octopuses.

The prefectural fisheries association says consumers purchased the marine products caught in the area and trust the radiation tests that were carried out.

So it decided to expand the catches to 10 types of marine products, including one type of crab and one type of squid starting on Monday.

The association says it has found no unsafe levels of radiation in any of the 10 types of seafood.

The fresh catch will be shipped to local shops later in the day after being tested for radiation.

A local fishery cooperative official says fishing operations in the area are slowly returning to normal. But he says fishermen will have to be patient, as it will take time before they can resume full-scale operations.