Testing finds no nuke-disaster radiation in Alaska seafood

  • By Dan Joling
  • Monday, November 30, 2015 10:20pm
  • News

ANCHORAGE — Alaska seafood has not been tainted by the Fukushima nuclear disaster four years ago, according to test results announced Monday by a state agency.

Alaska health authorities working with the federal Food and Drug Administration pronounced Alaska salmon, cod, halibut and other species free from radioactive contamination connected to the power plant damaged in Japan more than four years ago.

A 9.0 earthquake on March 11, 2011, generated a 130-foot wave that devastated 217 square miles in Japan. About 16,000 people were confirmed dead and nearly 2,600 were never found.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Among the damaged facilities was the nuclear plant complex at Fukushima, and meltdowns created fear that radionuclides, or radioactive isotopes, might drift east.

Debris from Japan, including boats and buoys, crossed the Pacific and arrived on Alaska’s shore. The greater concern was the potential effect on the Alaska seafood industry, which in 2011 was valued at $15.7 billion in direct and secondary economic output. The industry employed 63,100 workers in Alaska, making it the state’s largest private sector employer.

Sampling has never detected radioactive contamination from Fukushima in Alaska, but that has not stopped the rumors. Misinformation spread online has caused much concern in the last four years, said Marlena Brewer, an environmental protection specialist for the Division of Environmental Health.

“I get calls from all across the country,” Brewer said. “I’ve even had international calls with concerns about Alaska seafood.”

Ocean modeling of the distribution of contaminants did not indicate a potential risk to Alaska fish, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The department made arrangements with the FDA to sample and directly test fish. Testing this year at the FDA’s Winchester Engineering Analytical Center in Winchester, Massachusetts, as in 2014 found no detectable levies of contamination from Fukushima.

Samples in 2014 were collected from four of five Alaska salmon species, including king, chum, sockeye and pink, which spend part of their lives in the western Pacific Ocean. Health officials in 2015 took samples from coho salmon, halibut, pollock, sablefish and Pacific cod but not pink salmon.

Test results were in line with water-quality sampling done in 2014 by a nonprofit group, Cook Inletkeeper. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has sampled along the West Coast since 2011 and found no levels of concern, Brewer said.

Scientists predicted concentrations of Fukushima radioactive isotopes in North Pacific waters could peak in 2015.

More in News

Protesters gather for a protest against Medicaid cuts at the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Alaskans across the state rally to save Medicaid: their ‘lifeline’

Caregivers raise their voices to protect their jobs and the thousands of lives impacted if Medicaid is cut.

Rep. Rebecca Himschoot (I-Sitka) offers an overview of House Bill 69 during Wednesday’s floor session. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
House passes education bill with $1,000 BSA increase as state’s fiscal situation grows bleaker

Senate majority likely to trim hike to $680 while legislators also seek policy deal with governor.

U.S. Coast Guard officer Alexander Curran shows Homer visitors the bow of the USCG cutter Naushon on Aug. 4, 2023, in Homer, Alaska. (Emilie Springer/ Homer News.)
USCG cutter Naushon to be decommissioned  

A ceremony honoring the soon-to-be retired ship will be held on Friday, March 21 on the Homer Spit.

Chris Keithley, 2024 Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament champion, poses with his prize fish after the awards ceremony at the Deep Water Dock on the Spit in Homer, Alaska on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Winter King Tournament scheduled for March 22

This year’s event will be held at the Deep Water Dock at 4667 Freight Dock Road.

A group of volunteers during the 2024 K-Bay Sea Duck Survey. Two boats duplicate the same survey in the same area at the same time to help ensure accuracy. (Photo courtesy of Bjorn Larson)
Homer bird enthusiasts prepare for annual sea duck count

The count aims to ensure a proper and consistent population estimate before the ducks begin their April migration.

Community members hold up protest signs during the Stand for Democracy Rally on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2025, at WKFL Park in Homer, Alaska. (Chloe Pleznac/Homer News)
‘We haven’t lost our democracy yet’

Homer community protests amid sweeping federal changes.

tease
Homer man sentenced for illegally transporting black bears

Travis Larson pleaded guilty to four counts of violating the Lacey Act in October 2024.

Girl Scout Troop 210, which includes Caitlyn Eskelin, Emma Hindman, Kadie Newkirk and Lyberty Stockman, present their “Bucket Trees” to a panel of judges in the 34th Annual Caring for the Kenai Competition at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Caring for the Kenai announces 12 finalists

The final presentations will take place on April 17 in Kenai.

Daaljíni Mary Cruise, left, offers encouragement to participants in a Unity for the Queer Community rally at the Alaska State Capitol on Sunday afternoon. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Hundreds participate in Juneau LGBTQ+ rally as Trump administration seeks to erase letters and rights

President’s actions to stop “woke” are putting people’s safety and health at risk, participants say.

Most Read