Questions and Answers about Fishery products (Monitoring for radioactive materials)(Provisional translation)

A. After the establishment of the new standard limits on 1st April, 2012, 100Bq/kg is set as the new standard limit for fishery products, replacing the provisional regulation value for radioactive Cesium (500Bq/kg). 

A. The Radioactive materials released into the sea are carried by the ocean currents, while being diluted with enormous amount of seawater, and eventually settle on the sea bottom. Further, the radioactive materials are

     gradually diffused on the sea bottom. The concentration of radioactive cesium has been on a decreasing trend in the coastal area of Fukushima.

A． Radioactive materials fallen on mountains and lands could be brought into the freshwater environments such as lakes and rivers through rainwater and groundwater. In addition, radioactive materials once settled

       on   land could be blown up by winds again and fallen on the freshwater environment. Aquatic species living in freshwater may be contaminated by such the radioactive materials. 

      To supply safe fishery products to consumers, inspections have been conducted on radioactive materials for freshwater species.  Such inspections have found some fishery products with the radioactivity

      exceeding    the standard limit.  Every effort has been made to keep the relevant parties from fishing, both commercially and recreationally, targeting the same fishery products at the rivers and lakes where the fishery

      product  exceeding the standard limit has been caught.

     The Fisheries Agency will continue close cooperation with prefectural governments and industries in order to conduct sampling inspections of freshwater fishery products at a sufficient scale.

A．Inspections of fishery products are being conducted in accordance with the “Concepts of Inspection Planning and the Establishment and Cancellation of Items and Areas to which Restriction of Distribution

      and/or  Consumption of Foods concerned Applies”, established by the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, and other relevant policies, on a weekly basis for each fish species living at surface, middle

      and  bottom of the sea.                                                                

A．Fish bodies gradually excrete radioactive materials that have been taken in the bodies from seawater and feed, as in the case of potassium and other non-radioactive minerals.

A．Detection of a higher concentration of radioactive cesium from marine and riverbed soil does not necessarily lead to a detection of radioactive Cesium concentration exceeding the standard limit

      in the fish living  in the same area.

      One of the reasons is that cesium tends to be strongly combined with the clay in the soil, and such cesium combined with clay is not readily absorbed into organisms. On the other hand,

      cesium uncombined with clay tends to be more easily absorbed into organisms, being one of the causes of fishery product contamination.

      Radioactive cesium released by the hydrogen explosion and fell in the ocean, or leaked and emitted directly from the nuclear power plant into the ocean, gradually moves to the sea bed,

      while being diffused into and diluted with the large amount of seawater. Some of the cesium may not combine with the seabed clay, possibly being one of the causes of the continuing high concentration

      of radioactive cesium detected in some bottom fish caught in the Fukushima sea area.

      Taking into account the detection of the radioactive cesium over the new standard limit in some bottom fish, inspections on radioactive materials will be continued for a wide range of marine species,

       including demersal and benthic species such as flounders, cod, shellfish, sea cucumber and shrimps.  In addition, the results of the inspections of the sea bottom water and soil  will be continuously

      and carefully monitored.

A．According to the inspections of fishery products by prefectural governments, radioactive materials exceeding the new standard limit have been detected in fishery products, particularly from demersal fish,

      caught in   sea areas including offshore Fukushima prefecture.  To supply safe fishery products to consumers, sampling inspections of fish products will be continued.  In addition, the Fisheries Agency will

      continue to closely cooperate with prefectural governments to strengthen the sampling inspections. After the nuclear power plant accident, the voluntary restraint was imposed on all the coastal and

      bottom fisheries offshore Fukushima Prefecture (Except trial fisheries targeting Giant Pacific octopus, Chestnut octopus, Japanese flying squid, Spear squid, Horsehair crab, whelks (Buccinum isaotakii,

      Neptunea constricta , Neptunea intersculpta, and Beringius polynematicus), and Thornhead). The fish caught in the area after the accident were captured as samples for radioactive material inspections,

      and have not been distributed at markets.

      If radioactive cesium exceeding the new standard limit is detected in from marine fishery products, prefectural governments request their fishers to voluntarily refrain from shipping or catching

      of the same fishery products.  To date, the reactions of fishers have been in full conformity with the requests made.

      In case an expansion of contamination is observed (e.g. detection of fishery products exceeding the new standard limit in more than one sea area in a prefecture), the Director General for the Nuclear Emergency

      Response Headquarters (Prime Minister) issues an instruction on distribution restriction of fishery products.

A．Fish species such as skipjack tuna, chub mackerel and Pacific saury migrate through wide sea area, including offshore Fukushima. Sampling inspections of such species have been conducted under

A．To supply safe fishery products to consumers, prefectural governments have conducted sampling inspections of major marine fish species living at surface, middle and bottom of the sea , and major fresh water 

      species on a weekly basis, in accordance with the relevant policies, including the “Concepts of Inspection Planning and the Establishment and Cancellation of Items and Areas to which Restriction of

      Distribution and/or Consumption of Foods concerned Applies” established by the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters(Director General: Prime Minister).  The Fisheries Agency will continue to

      closely cooperate with prefectural governments and industries in order to strengthen such inspection framework.  Especially, by increasing the number of inspections, monitoring will be strengthened

      on fishery products which have exceeded 50Bq/kg in the past.

      If radioactive cesium exceeding the new standard limit is detected in sample from marine fishery products, prefectural governments request their fishers to voluntarily refrain from shipping or catching

      of the same fishery products.  To date, the reactions of fishers have been in full conformity with the requests made.

      In case an expansion of contamination is observed (e.g. detection of fishery products exceeding the new standard limit in more than one sea area in a prefecture), the Director General for the Nuclear Emergency

      Response Headquarters (Prime Minister) issues an instruction on distribution restriction of fishery products.

      For instance, in Miyagi and Ibaraki prefectures, in accordance with the request from the prefectural government, fishers have voluntarily refrained from shipping of the fishery products which have exceeded

      or may exceed the standard limit, and, the Director General of the Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters(Prime Minister) has instructed the governor on distribution restrictions of the fishery product

      exceeded the standard limit .

      As for the sea area offshore Fukushima prefecture, since the nuclear power plant accident, the voluntary restraint was imposed on all the coastal and bottom fisheries (Except trial fisheries targeting giant Pacific

      octopus, chestnut octopus, Japanese flying squid, spear squid, horsehair crab, whelks (Buccinum isaotakii, Neptunea constricta , Neptunea intersculpta, and Beringius polynematicus), and Thornhead). 

      The fishery products caught in the area after the accident were captured as samples for radioactive material inspections, and have not been distributed at markets. On the other hand, skipjack and pacific saury

      fisheries are operated in the Pacific Ocean area that includes areas offshore Fukushima prefecture, and fish caught may be landed at ports in the Fukushima prefecture.  These species migrate mainly through

      the area far from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, where effects of radioactive materials are considered small.  This has been confirmed through sampling inspections of these species.

      Measures have been introduced, including distribution restrictions of the fishery products, in the rivers and lakes as well, where radioactive cesium has been detected exceeding the standard limit.

      Such information is publicized at the websites of the national and prefectural governments.

      In March 2011, voluntary restraint was imposed on all the coastal and bottom fisheries offshore Fukushima Prefecture. From June to August 2012, boiled products of 3 species which have been steadily below the

      standard limit (i.e. giant Pacific octopus, chestnut octopus and whelk (Buccinum isaotakii))were sold on a trial basis after inspecting both raw materials and boiled products in each trial selling. Since September 2012, 

      7 species (Japanese flying squid, spear squid, horsehair crab, whelks (Neptunea constricta, Neptunea intersculpta and Beringius polynematicus) and thornhead), and since December 2012, 3 species (snow crab,

      greeneyes and rikuzen flounder) have been added to the trail selling. These 13 species are sold as boiled products (or raw products, for some of the species).

A. As for marine fish, if you are uncertain about the safety of the fish caught, please check the inspection results of the same species or species living in the same area, published on the prefectural governments’

     and the  Fisheries Agency’s websites.  If the area you caught the fish is close to the area where radioactive materials exceeding the standard limit have been detected, distribution is restricted and/or fishery targeting

     such species is suspended, please consult with relevant prefectural governments.

A．The new standard limit is effective to the food products produced or processed after 1st April.

A. As for dried food products which are consumed as they are, such as dried laver, dried sardine and dried squid, the standard limit applies for both before and after processing, as raw materials and as dried products.

A． In response to the growing interests of consumers in labeling of fishery products on production area, the Fisheries Agency issued the notice on 5th October 2011 to industries and prefectural governments about 

       promotion of production area labeling which puts more focus on clarification of the name of the production area with finer scale classification.

Finer scale classifications for migratory spices are as follows:

1 “北海道・青森県沖太平洋” (Offshore of Hokkaido and Aomori. “北海道青森沖太平洋” or ”北海道青森太平洋” is also acceptable.)

2 “三陸北部沖” (Offshore of Northern Sanriku)

3 “三陸南部沖” (Offshore of Southern Sanriku)

4 “福島県沖” (Offshore of Fukushima)

5 “日立・鹿島沖” (Offshore of Hitachi and Kashima)

6 “房総沖” (Offshore of Boso Peninsula)

7 “日本太平洋沖合北部” (Northern Pacific off Japan. “日本太平洋沖北部” is also acceptable.