Impacts of the nuclear power plant accident and the start of trial operations in Fukushima fisheries

Abstract

The large-scale release of radioactive substances from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company in March 2011 caused significant damage to local fisheries. The Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations immediately suspended all commercial fishing activities within Fukushima. The national government issued instructions prohibiting the sale of certain marine products caught in the waters off Fukushima Prefecture due to food safety concerns. The prohibition is gradually being lifted; in June 2012, the Fisheries Cooperative Associations resumed commercial fishing of three species (two octopus species and one shellfish species) as trial operations. Subsequently, the list has expanded, and as of January 2015, 58 species have been approved for trial operations. The scale of operations is far smaller than before the tsunami and nuclear accident. A full recovery of Fukushima fisheries cannot be realized until the government lifts prohibitions on the sale of all remaining marine species, and the timing of such a decision remains unclear.