An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team caught fish off Fukushima Prefecture on Wednesday in an ocean survey following the discharges of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in the northeastern Japan prefecture.
The fish and other samples including horse mackerel and sea bream were landed at a fishing port in Iwaki, Fukushima, before being processed for testing to be conducted respectively by the IAEA and analysis organizations in Japan and third-party countries including China to measure the concentrations of radioactive materials. The IAEA will compare and evaluate the results to enhance reliability.
The IAEA investigation team will prepare minced samples of six types of fish, including flounder caught earlier this month, and send them to the analysis organizations. The third-country research bodies designated by the IAEA also included those of South Korea and Switzerland.
Last year, a similar survey was conducted by the IAEA and third-party countries to examine marine products off Fukushima.
On Sept. 20 this year, the Chinese government said that it will resume imports of Japanese fishery products in stages if the IAEA expands the scope of its monitoring and the safety is confirmed.
But it is uncertain when China will remove its import ban, introduced last year in response to the first release of the treated water from the meltdown-stricken Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings nuclear plant into the Pacific.
“We want people to confirm that Japanese fishery products are safe and consume them without worry,” said a Fisheries Agency official who was present during the collection of marine products Wednesday. “We hope people from overseas will understand that the monitoring is appropriate.”