Hakodate, Japan – Japanese officials have refuted claims linking the deaths of tons of fish along the shoreline in Hokkaido to the release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Last week, approximately 1,200 tons of dead sardines and mackerels washed ashore in Hakodate city, leaving marine experts perplexed and prompting an influx of inquiries and volunteer requests to collect the remains.
While no official statement has been made by Tokyo, a report in a British newspaper attributed the fish deaths in the northern prefecture to the water discharged from the decommissioned Fukushima nuclear plant. However, the fisheries agency expressed concern about the spread of unsubstantiated information, emphasizing the absence of abnormalities in water-monitoring surveys.
The Hokkaido Research Organization’s Hakodate fisheries experiment station explained that fish sometimes wash up ashore in large numbers due to sudden changes in water temperature or predator encounters, such as with dolphins. The dead fish found on the beach were likely part of a migrating school, according to the station.
City officials stated that heavy machinery was being used to dispose of the dead fish from the coastline, with cleanup efforts expected to continue until the end of December. Photos from the incident showed thousands of tons of sardines and some mackerels on the shore, covering a kilometer-long stretch of beach.
In August, thousands of tons of treated water were released from the Fukushima nuclear plant as part of its decommissioning process, including the removal of molten fuel. The government defended the release, asserting that no radioactive anomalies were found. Restating the facts, officials in Japan have dismissed the connection between the fish deaths in Hokkaido and the treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The government has also defended the release of treated water, maintaining that no radioactive anomalies were found in the water.