The Fukushima nuclear disaster causes a loss of over $10 billion for Japan’s fishing industry
About a decade ago, a 40 meter wave crashed into Japan, decimating everything in its path — including the city’s nuclear power plant. Subject to a power outage, the plant underwent a meltdown, contaminating the Pacific Ocean with radioactively tainted water. The ensuing tragedy, known as the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, has devastated the local environment and several industries throughout the country; the fishing industry alone has incurred a loss of over 12 billion dollars.
The instigator of the meltdown was a calamity in itself. During an unassuming afternoon on March 11, 2011, a cataclysmic 9.1 magnitude earthquake wreaked havoc on the island — particularly the prefecture, Fukushima; by the end of the year, almost 20,000 were dead, and more were missing. The six-minute convulsion precipitated tsunamis that battered what remained of the earthquake’s ruination. Upon contact with the nuclear plant, the waves rendered emergency generators ineffective and, critically, unable to cool the reactors — containers responsible for heat generation from nuclear fuel. Consequently, the reactors melted and emitted radioactive gasses into the atmosphere, surrounding rivers, and eventually the Pacific Ocean. Today, government officials plan to release gallons of stored radioactive water into the Pacific. Although Japan received confirmation that the materials were safe for disposal, many countries, notably Korea, were frightened by and disapproved of the notion.
What is inarguable, however, is the distress encountered by local fishermen since the harrowing event. According to Justin McCarry of the Guardian, the government imposed a fishing ban in the Fukushima area after the tsunami due to the tsunami and subsequent leakage from the power plant's reactors. McCarry further noted that the ban on commercial fishing in Japan has impeded fishermen’s ability to earn a living, leaving them “idle” and disenchanted.
To make matters worse, the fishing market has lost approximately 12.49 billion dollars. Unemployment, exacerbated by the public’s concern regarding the consumption of radioactive seafood, has thoroughly pummeled the sector since the incident. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the radiation from the tsunami will not be hazardous for North American residents. The main problem, however, lies with countries near Japan, such as Korea. Nonetheless, promising studies show that the radiation from the seafood will only come in trace amounts, and the likelihood of harm is improbable; yet, scientific efforts to relieve the public seem to be in vain as most still tend to eat other food rather than seafood.
While many hope that the ocean water is purified quickly enough for the fishermen to start their business again, fishermen are more vulnerable than ever. “Previously I never went to see the doctor. Now it feels like I do more drugs and medicine than actual food,” a fisherman interviewed by Reuters said.
Comments