News From The Meltdowns: ["De"]CONTAMINATION, October Catch up
Channel: rumorecurioso
Date: 16/01/2014

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/  
October 2013

TEST FISHING STARTS OFF SOUTHERN FUKUSHIMA

 Fishermen have brought in their first catches off the southern coast of Fukushima Prefecture since a nuclear accident at a power plant occurred 2 years and 7 months ago.

13 trawlers from 2 fisheries cooperatives in Iwaki City set out on Friday morning.

They returned before noon with 1.3 tons of catch including octopus, hairy crab and a local specialty fish.

Fishery officials took samples and tested them for radioactivity. They say no radioactive materials were detected.

The products will be shipped around the prefecture on Saturday.

The nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant forced local fishermen to stop their work due to concerns of marine products being contaminated with radiation.

Test fishing began off the northern coast of the prefecture in June last year.

But fishery workers in southern parts of the prefecture had to wait until the prefectural fisheries association concluded that seawater and marine products were safe.

Oct. 18, 2013 - Updated 08:49 UTC

TEST FISHING OFF FUKUSHIMA TO EXPAND

 Fishers in Fukushima Prefecture plan to expand their targets for test fishing from 18 types to 27.

The heads of the prefecture's fishing cooperatives met in Iwaki City on Wednesday.

They started test fishing in June last year, 15 months after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident. The activity was later interrupted due to radioactive water leakage at the crippled facility.

At the meeting, the heads approved the inclusion next month of 9 types of fish including flathead flounder, which was the leading catch in the area before March 2011.

The additional types have had radiation levels far below the government standard for more than 18 months.

The expected increase in catch would be a boon for the region's fishing industry. The fish are checked for radioactive materials before going on sale at local markets.

Soma City cooperative head Hiroyuki Sato said the flathead flounder season is starting and the fish bring good prices, motivating fishermen. He said he hopes the ban on other types will be lifted soon.

Oct. 30, 2013 - Updated 09:12 UTC

SPINY LOBSTER FISHING BEGINS IN MIE PREF.

 This year's fishing season for spiny lobsters -- a local specialty -- has begun off the Pacific coast of Mie Prefecture in central Japan.

24 boats landed hauls of the lobster variety at Wagu Port on Wednesday morning after taking them at a fishing ground about 5 kilometers off the coast. The season started on Tuesday.

Catches totaling around 900 kilograms -- more than last year -- were traded at about 50 dollars per kilo. The prices were close to typical levels.

A local fisheries cooperative chief said spiny lobsters from the region are known for their sweet taste and firm texture. The fishing season runs through late April.

Oct. 2, 2013 - Updated 05:52 UTC

JELLYFISH FORCE NUCLEAR REACTOR TO SHUT DOWN

 One of the reactors in a nuclear power plant in Sweden was forced to shut down for 3 days starting on Sunday, after a large amount of jellyfish clogged up the pipes carrying cooling water to the turbines.

The Oskarshamn power plant in southeastern Sweden is situated on the shores of the Baltic Sea, where there has been a huge increase in jellyfish in recent years due to an increase in plankton.

The operator says that they manually halted the operation of one of 3 reactors for 3 days to remove jellyfish from the pipes.

The reactor is the largest in Sweden. It can generate 1,400 megawatts of power. There is no report of a leak of radioactive substances.

Similar incidents have also happened in Britain and Japan in recent years. Ohi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture was forced to reduce its power output last year due to a swarm of jellyfish.

Oct. 3, 2013 - Updated 03:06 UTC