Floats, gunk and other tsunami debris hitting Gulf of Alaska beaches

[Blue_In_AK]

Source: Alaska Dispatch

Debris from the Japanese tsunami has begun to wash ashore along Alaska's outer beaches to a dramatic extent -- delivering floats, barrels, gunk plus one errant soccer ball recovered on Middleton Island, according to Facebook posts, news reports and eyewitness accounts from around the region.

The tragic flotsam from one of the worst disasters of the new century has been arriving months earlier than originally predicted by models based on the behavior of ocean currents — with the wind scooting the stuff thousands of miles across the surface of the sea at surprising speed.

"It's safe to say that tsunami debris is here," Marine Conservation Alliance director Merrick Burden told Kodiak fisheries journalist Laine Welch last week in an interview that appeared in her Fish Factor column.

"What we're finding are wind driven objects like buoys, Styrofoam, and large containers, some of which contain materials that are potentially toxic," Burden added. "We're finding drums full of things that we don't know what they are yet. So we're looking at a potential large-scale environmental problem, and what we're dealing with now is just the start of it."

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Read more: http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/floats-gunk-and-other-tsunami-debris-hitting-gulf-alaska-beaches

[FirstLight]

1. any radioactivity readings?

I wonder how mush of it is 'glowing'....?

[Blue_In_AK]

2. I don't know about that,

but for some reason they're refusing to test our wild Alaskan salmon, which has a lot of people up here pretty upset.

[freshwest]

7. A number of people decided to stop buying it. This is a disaster for those who make their living

Like this... I expect what hits the ocean floor will affect lobsters and crabs and I know people who made living that way. I'm sorry this hurts the people of Alaska. And the west coast. Perhaps kelp and other sea foods are not a good idea now.

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. Newspaper reports of increased radiation found in Cal. kelp.

"The largest concentration was about 250 times higher than levels found in kelp before the accident.

"Basically, we saw it in all the California kelp blades we sampled," said Steven Manley, a CSU Long Beach biology professor who specializes in kelp."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/07/BAO51O00HO.DTL

[Arctic Dave]

3. Was down in Yakutat last week and saw some debris

along the beach when we went beach combing. Found some with Japanese writing on it.

Sad for them and sad for us.

[aquart]

4. This is genuinely scary.

But also makes me wonder about debris from previous ancient tsunamis.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Previous ancient tsunamis

probably wouldn't be so potentially toxic. It's one of the hazards of our modern life, I guess.

[Swede]

6. A Harley Davidson motorcycle from Japan washed up on the BC coast.

http://www.canada.com/news/Harley+Davidson+sent+adrift+tsunami+returned+Japanese+owner/6548853/story.html

[Javaman]

8. super fund tsunami. nt

[slackmaster]

9. I'm thinking "Tragic Flotsam" would make a good name for a parody Emo band

[dixiegrrrrl]

11. So is the state warning people not to touch that stuff?

Is the state of Alaska testing anything at all for radiation?
What about the people who depend on seafood and other wild animals for food?

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Nope, nothing.

Here's the latest from KTUU, our local NBC affiliate: http://articles.ktuu.com/2012-05-07/radiation_31615351

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Testing Alaska salmon and other fish for radiation after Japan'searthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster is unnecessary, according to the State of Alaska.

Washington state is now testing samples of fish caught in its rivers for radiation levels, but Alaska environmental health officials say they plan no such testing.

The State of Alaska says it simply doesn't need to do that kind of testing for Alaska Fish.

The environmental health director for the Department of Environmental Conservation says Washington state is likely making the decision to test its fish because of the availability of labs there.

the Alaska DEC cites data that shows fish harvested in Alaska aren't going anywhere near the shores of Japan, where radiation levels were high.


<snip>.

[/quote]

I'm sure we'll still be going out for our annual red salmon and halibut catch with my brother down in Kachemak Bay/Homer area. At this point, I kind of figure if the radiation doesn't get me, the methane being released from the melting permafrost probably will. Grim.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. the fish not going near Japan is not the problem.

the radiation coming TO the fish on the West Coast is the problem
and since they are now finding increased radiation in kelp beds here.....

btw...we/I have known for years that the Columbia River is tainted with radioactive runoff from Hanford in E. Washington.
I have not had salmon for years and years.

[Blue_In_AK]

14. I think if the Alska DEC were wise,

they would go ahead and test the salmon anyway, just to put people's minds at ease. Especially with all the flotsam showing up here.

They did determine that some skin anomalies that had been showing up on the ringed seals were NOT caused by radiation (or so they say), so I don't understand why they won't test the fish. Like I said, maybe they're afraid of what they'd find. Commercial salmon fishing is a huge part of our economy.

[dixiegrrrrl]

16. You may remember that other coastal states have also decided to not test

giving a variety of reasons why not.
Common sense does not seem to be strongly valued by state officials.

[Adsos Letter]

15. "...drums full of things that we don't know what they are yet.."

How many of those are leaking their unknown contents into the ocean as they float across?