Rockfish Caught Off Fukushima Nuclear Plant Shows Cesium Levels 108 Times Above Standard

Caught in the Sea Right in Front of the Nuclear Power Plant... Concerns Over Seafood Safety

As Japan proceeds with the schedule for releasing contaminated water, cesium levels 180 times the standard were detected in rockfish caught in the sea in front of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant last May.

Rockfish (Ureok) caught off the coast of Fukushima in 2021. Last month, cesium levels exceeding the standard by 180 times were detected in rockfish caught inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant harbor.
[Photo by Japan Fisheries and Marine Research Center]

On the 7th, Kyodo News reported that Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on the 5th that cesium measuring 18,000 becquerels, 180 times the Japanese Food Sanitation Law standard (100 becquerels per kilogram), was detected in the rockfish.

The rockfish in question measured 30.5 cm in length and weighed 384 g, and was caught in an area surrounded by breakwaters on the sea side of reactors 1 to 4 of the nuclear power plant. This area is known to have relatively high concentrations of radioactive substances flowing from drainage.

Earlier in April, 1,200 becquerels of cesium were detected in a black rockfish caught in the same area. TEPCO stated that they are currently installing nets and other barriers to prevent fish from escaping outside the harbor.

Meanwhile, TEPCO completed a 1,030-meter-long undersea tunnel last April. Having finished part of the construction of the water tank corresponding to the stage just before sending contaminated water through the undersea tunnel, TEPCO plans to complete all construction for the marine discharge of contaminated water by the end of this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.