Fish auction prices at a port south of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant were mixed amid uncertainty over how seafood consumers will respond to the release of treated and diluted radioactive wastewater into the ocean.
Prices of some average-size flounder rose, but presumably due to a limited catch, says Igari. Others fell.But, Mr Igari said, “we still have to see how it goes next week”. China immediately banned imports of seafood from Japan in response, adding to worries in the fisheries community and related businesses.
A citizens’ radiation testing centre in Japan said it is getting inquiries and expects more people might bring in food, water and other samples as radiation data is now a key barometer for what to eat. “We now have this water after all these years of struggle when the fish market price is finally becoming stable,” Mr Igari said after Friday’s auction.
The tanks cover much of the complex and must be cleared out to make room for new facilities needed for the decommissioning process, officials say.