Parts of Japan were raddled by a recent seismic event, not the massive earthquake that hit last month. We are talking about a new quake that struck on Thursday. The US Geological survey said this one had a magnitude of 7.1. It’s not as (powerful) as last month’s quake, but it did happen in the same area of the northeast coast of Japan. This new quake was closer to the coast and it led some tsunami warnings, but those were cancelled within 90 minutes. There were no reports of any casualties inside the quake zone.
We have reported on the original quake and tsunami disasters impact on Japan’s economy, on its young people. But it also had a devastating impact on some of the nation’s fishermen. Pola Hancocks has that story for us now.
Boat coxes littered the coast line of north east Japan, the country’s biggest earthquake ever followed by a (devastating) tsunami followed by a raging fire on at least two port cities. And now, radioactive water has been pumped into the sea. The Japanese government says it was an unavoidable emergency measure, but Japan’s fishermen are desperate. Katzwa Sato inspects most of the floats forced almost a kilometre inland by the tsunami to see what can be salvaged. Only the rope is of any use. For three generations, his family has been (farming) oysters and scallops in the shallow waters of the Pacific Ocean. He puts a little stock in government insurances that the release poses no major health risk.
He says none of us can trust what the real safety level of radiation in sea water is, because the government keeps changing it based on what nuclear plants need. It makes me so angry. Sato knows it would take a long time to restore faith in Japanese fishing sea food, even within Japan itself.
Authorities estimate that in the Nowata (prefecture) where we are now, around 96% of all boats have almost been destroyed or they are still missing after the tsunami. Even without the contamination in the water fears, the fishing industry here is completely decimated.
The fish market at the port of Casanova is deserted. Local say they want it open again by July, but do not know if many will be (fishing) by then.
Wataro Ito is clearing the fish processing plant he works in. He says it is going to take at least two years to get everything back to normal. Even though his boats are still intact, are not (fishing). This fisherman says I can not find W nets and tools to wash to. An area once bustling with fishermen, now a boat grave yard.
Pola Hancocks, CNN, Recusant, Casanova, Japan