Fukushima: Season's Tuna Catch Taken Elsewhere and Sold as Local!

Are you 'Chicken' of your 'Chicken of the Sea' yet? I would be if I didn't know better and ran across the following link with cut and paste!

It's been a long while since my prior posts here but I have been visiting periodically and hope all are well?!

One thing that has caught my eye while observing other grocery shoppers is the fact that people clearly oblivious to the news of Fukushima dumping tons of radioactive material into the oceans continue to purchase ocean source foods especially frozen fish, crab, lobster etc. (in addition to milk and milk products, non-hothouse mushrooms etc.-items known to have the greatest potential for higher amounts of hot particles.)

The following link and info. feel free to pass around. I see canned tuna on sale constantly for as low as .62 cents per can, hopefully more people can become aware if more would share this important info. depressing the pricing further or eliminating ocean source radioactive foods from the marketplace.

http://femalefaust.blogspot.com/2011/07/fukushima-seasons-tuna-catch-tak...

Fukushima: Season's Tuna Catch Taken Elsewhere, Fish Sold as Local

Why is it zero?

Not because there are no tuna, and not because none have been caught.

1 ISSF STATUS OF THE WORLD FISHERIES FOR TUNA 2010
UPDATE

Fukushima is not, shall we say, the most advantageous place for your fish to have been caught, if you want it sold. No one wants to buy fish from Fukushima for some reason. Solution?

Haul your catch to another port and sell it there! You can say 'Caught in the waters near this port.' Insert the name of the new port.

In fact, from reader's comments it seems new varieties of fish are showing up in markets, labeled in interesting ways, not seen previously, but reassuringly not deriving from anywhere near Fukushima.

Wait -- do the fishermen realize why no one wants to buy the fish caught near Fukushima? I cannot believe that they do not realize why. I want to ask each one of them individually: Why do you think there is this prejudice against fish caught near Fukushima?

Anyone?

The middle of the summer is the season for skipjack sashimi -- not really so popular outside japan. Be aware, though, that around half of the world's skipjack was caught off Japan's coasts (at least in 2009). Also note that skipjack is the MAJOR ingredient in katsuobushi, fermented, concentrated, and used to make miso.

Ah! The Skipjack were just tested -- no detectable levels of radiation! Never mind, Gentle Reader. Obviously I was mistaken. There is nothing to worry about:

(must visit link to view graphically formatted info)

Where did I get that information?

National Offshore Tuna Fisheries Association of Japan.

Would they lie?

My source is EX-SKF -- a blog you ought to be following if you are not already:
(must visit link to view graphically formatted info)

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

#Radiation in Japan: Katsuo (Skipjack Tuna) Haul Is Zero at Onahama Port in Fukushima

Katsuo (shipjack tuna) is in season, and in a normal year the port of Onahama, Fukushima Prefecture should be bustling with activities, with fishing boats hauling katsuo they caught into the port, noisy auctioning by the wholesalers.

This year is anything but normal, and the amount of the haul at the Onahama port is zero. Zero.

Where are the fishing boats loaded with katsuo going? Other ports, so that the katsuo that they catch off the coast of Fukushima and all along the Pacific North can be sold as coming anywhere but from Fukushima.

(In other words, watch out, consumers.)

From Yomiuri Shinbun (7/7/2011):

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The Onahama Port in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, the biggest port in Fukushima Prefecture and one of the best known port for hauling katsuo (shipjack tuna) in the Tohoku region, finds itself in difficult times.

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It's the prime season for katsuo fishing right now, but the katsuo hauling at the port, which reopened three weeks ago for the first time since the March 11 tsunami, is zero. It's because fishing boats head for other ports in other prefectures, fearful that their catch will be considered "caught in Fukushima Prefecture", a big negative in the aftermath of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident. The local fishery people lament, "katsuo all come from the same fishery...."

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Katsuo fishing, which chases katsuo as the fish migrate north along the Pacific coast from spring to summer, started in earnest in May. Now it's in the prime season. However, at the wholesale fish market at the Onahama Port, all is quiet, and fish baskets remain empty.

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"In a normal year, the place is chaotic with wholesalers and fish market personnel, bustling with activities," Mr. Satoshi Nakano, 35-year-old worker at the market, sighs.

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According to Japan's Fisheries Agency, 2,420 tonnes of fresh katsuo were hauled at the port in 2009, No. 5 in the whole country. The local fishing co-op says 70% of the haul was from the out-of-Fukushima fish boats.

There have been anecdotal but credible "rumors" for about two months that there are unusual increases of unusual kind of fish in ports outside Fukushima - Tokyo's Tsukiji Port, and a port in Mie Prefecture for example. The rumors say the boats are catching fish off the coast of Fukushima and hauling them at a distant port, and the fish are being sold as "caught in the ocean near that port", which is perfectly legal.

And what about the remaining 30% of the fishing boats that are from Fukushima Prefecture? A group of fishing boats left the Onahama Port for katsuo fishing last month, but they've given up on hauling to the Onahama Port due to the "baseless rumor" of radiation contamination, according to Tokyo Shinbun.

The authorities seem to want to keep it "baseless rumor" by not testing. At this point, even if they start to test, no consumer will readily believe the official numbers.

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Posted by arevamirpal::laprimavera at 4:55 PM

Labels: Fukushima, katsuo, marine contamination, Onahama Port

9 comments:
@ortospace said...
Big stores seem to care about consumers worries on "baseless rumours".
My case: I use to shop at Daiei. Since weeks I can find fish that I never found before: Korean tuna, lots of American fish (fresh and frozen), and in some cases you see labels like "coming from xxx prefecture, but catched in Indian/Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, etc...".
The problem now is how frequent mislabeling is, but that's another story...

The worrisome thing on katsuo is that if contaminated it will in turn contaminate through katsuobushi and dashi basically all Japanese recipes for long years.
Other curious things: I now found American celery. Never saw it before 3/11. Despite the crisis and what I would assume on market mechanisms, it's still cheaper than domestic (Chiba-ken-san) celery!? wtf? Or broccoli: Fukushima-ken-san: 158 jpy, Amerika-san: 98 jpy!? wtf?
July 6, 2011 6:07 PM Anonymous said...
How to stay away from shaved bonito now? They top so much stuff with it. Reminds of the very wise saying...don't crap where you eat.
July 6, 2011 6:39 PM arevamirpal::laprimavera said...
@ortospace, thanks for reminding me. Katsuobushi added to my ever-growing hoarding list. What's on the market right now must be from last year. (Anon at 6:39PM, I think bonito's safe for this year.) Interesting info on Daiei super. Broccoli is cheaper there than here!
July 6, 2011 7:15 PM @ortospace said...
If you're interested, today I took a pic of the label of "Shizuoka-ken-san tuna, caught in Atlantic Ocean".
Btw, that means that before they were kinda mislabeling by just saying Shizuoka-ken-san; I never remember seeing cited Atlantic Ocean or Mediterranean Sea in the labels... it's also true that I wasn't paying attention like now.
Anyway, now grateful to Daiei for that extra specification (don't know if they're required by law to specify where fish has been caught).
And trusting they don't mislabel...
July 7, 2011 4:08 AM Anonymous said...
I have a saying.
If people survived in prison camp or GUlags for decades on shittwather for dinner, you as a human begin can live for a long time on simple food.
Like vegi/grainsup or simple meals.

To worry about colestrole or others are hyped scearmongering and targeting the "live for ever myth".

We are like the Seaguls, capable of surviving on almoust anything.

Are you not certain, dont eat it.
A simple rule of thumbs.
July 7, 2011 5:58 AM Anonymous said...
I believe most people around the world knew that they, the Japanese would pull something like this !!!
July 7, 2011 1:23 PM Anonymous said...
Isn't it curious timing that our evil rulers are starting a ridiculous new advertising campaign calling Tuna the "Wonderfish"? Methinks the big 3 tuna packers (Bumble Bee, Starkist, Chicken of the Sea) are running scared over this world crime against Japan, and spending oodles on a wholly spurious propaganda campaign telling simps how healthy tuna is.

In the TV ads (and the website) Joy, the corporate bimbo-shill prances around in a new-retro kitchen surrounded by Spanish dancers and gushes on about how wonderful tuna is for your heart and eyes, etc.

But Joy - what about the MERCURY and the PLUTONIUM?!!?!?

We should start a counter-campaign called "TUNA: THE MONSTERFISH!"

(and to the Anonymous clown above me who said "the Japanese would pull something like this," eat LOTS and LOTS of tuna, chump!)
July 8, 2011 10:17 AM Anonymous said...
Tuna is a wonderfish all right, fished to extinction is TRUE threat.

They're said to be marvelously evolved for their environment. That didn't include trawling fleets.
July 8, 2011 11:08 AM Anonymous said...
i used to live near daiei and i remember the amrerican brocolli cheaper than japanese.i still never bought it.always considered what they would have to spray on the stuff to ship it..same with lots of imported foods. i wonder what is worse.
July 8, 2011 10:05 PM

Post a Comment

(Note: the sidebar of the iframe above is obviously not my own.)

***

I have been ranting recently: If a gun was held to these fishermen's heads, and they were told, "Sell skipjack tuna caught off Fukushima and die!" -- would they sell it? Probably not.

If a gun was held to the heads of the children of these fishermen, right in front of them, and they were told, "Sell skipjack tuna caught off Fukushima and your children die!" -- would they sell it? Probably not.

In fact, if somehow his livelihood were completely threatened -- "Sell skipjack tuna caught off Fukushima and no one will ever fish again!" or his environment "Sell skipjack tuna caught off Fukushima and your environment becomes poisonous for ever! Your food and water become poisonous!"

Would they sell it then?

Probably not.

Perhaps they think they will only poison other people.

I wonder how many fishermen who took hauls of skipjack will eat it themselves.

also see

UPDATE:

100% Radioactive Fukushima Skipjack Tuna Catch Sold

Be seeing you.

Posted by a female Faust on or about Thursday, July 14, 2011

1 kind soul(s) left their own thoughts in response:

Anonymous said...
From: HotCaviar:

I have personally 'self banned' ocean source foods and personal care items etc. since Fukushima and urge all reading this site and my earlier post linked here to pass the information around. The 'ball' of radioactive material distributed in our oceans will allow the same to occur in any sealife in unknown concentrations-next time you see someone reach for seafood ocean based foods let them know they are likely consuming nuclear material (only identifiably detectable at a University or Industrial Level Lab) and other classified and non-classified military and industrial waste. I'd let them know that I too am 'Chicken' of 'Chicken of the Sea.'

Here's the link and post as mentioned:http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/3486 BRAWM Info., Common Sense, Medical Awareness and Staying Informed...

Signed,

HotCaviar

-Off my menu: All Seafoods because the oceans really are a military and industrial sewer! Yes, I will miss Anchovies on my pizza, fishsticks, red snapper, tuna (even 'chicken of the sea' is no longer 'worthy,'crab, fake crab (made with Pollock, an ocean fish), clam chowder, Nori Seaweed,Caviar etc... See: http://pstuph.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/can-ocean-currents-transport-radi...
August 13, 2011 5:10 PM