VOA新闻杂志2023--Japanese Support Fishermen by Buying from Fukushima Area

Japanese Support Fishermen by Buying from Fukushima Area

People from all over Japan are purchasing fish caught in the waters near the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

In August, the power plant started releasing treated and diluted² radioactive water from holding tanks into the ocean. The power complex had suffered some equipment meltdowns after huge waves flooded the area in 2011 following an earthquake. The water release is part of the Tokyo Electric Power Company plan to shut the plant.

The Japanese government says the water is safe and it will be continually observed. However, some nations that once purchased a large amount of Japanese seafood³ are no longer doing so.

China has banned seafood from Japan. The regions of Hong Kong and Macau followed along.

Russia also announced restrictions⁴ on Japanese seafood in mid-October.

In South Korea, many people are concerned that the radioactive water will hurt fish close to home. Many people are no longer buying fish in South Korean markets.

But people in Japan are trying to support the fishing industry by buying fish and seafood.

At a fish store near the Onahama Port in Fukushima, one seller said he was "half surprised, half relieved." Business owner Kazuto Harada had a tank of live lobsters⁶ captured in local waters for sale. He said he has not heard any concerns about the water release.

Fukushima fish sellers are getting orders from all over Japan. People ask for fish called Jaban-mono, which means fish from Fukushima and nearby Ibaraki. The buyers like flounder and greeneye.

Almost all the fish at the market is sold by the afternoon.

The water release will continue for many years.

Futoshi Kinoshita is the executive of Foodison, which owns the Sakana Bacca group of seafood stores. He said usual testing of fishing waters is important. But, he said it is more important that people gain trust in the seafood as they watch friends and family eat the fish. "I hope the circle of confidence will expand," Kinoshita said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency approved the Japanese plan to release the water. The group said the water release is going well so far and said the plan will have very little effect on fish and the environment. The latest water release took place last week.

So far, fish prices have remained firm, or even gone up a small amount. However, one fisheries official remains⁷ watchful⁸.

Katsuya Goto said any mistake could be very damaging to the public's trust that the fish is safe.

"The government and TEPCO have begun this despite local fishers' opposition⁹, so we must watch and make sure they do it right," he said.

To support the Fukushima seafood business, the Tokyo government launched a campaign in October called "eat and cheer." It runs through the end of the year. The campaign targets customers interested in high-priced seafood such as lobster⁵.

Then, in 2024, a group of well-known Kaiseki chefs in the city of Kyoto will start menus that use fish from Fukushima.

Yoshinori Tanaka is one of the chefs. His restaurant in Kyoto is called Toriyone. He said fish from local waters are a necessity for Japanese food. He urged the government to continue worrying about water safety. He said seeing people enjoy the Fukushima fish on their menus can also help ease "safety concerns that some people have."

So far, people in the seafood business are happy with all the support. Experts, however, warn that such programs will not last forever. They suggest long-term programs to keep the fishing businesses going and efforts to avoid any accidents with the water release.

Today there are many fewer fishermen in the Fukushima area and they bring in fewer fish than before the nuclear disaster in 2011. And with the recent interest in fish from Fukushima, some fish sellers are not able to meet demand.

Hiroharu Haga is the manager of Ichiyoshi, a fish store in Onahama. He said the supply of Fukushima fish is still limited.

"I wish I could sell more local fish," he said.

Words in This Story

dilute¹ -v. to add water to something to reduce its strength

relieved -adj. feeling better about something

afternoon -n. the time after the middle of the day and before night

confidence -n. a feeling that something is going well

despite -prep. when something happens even though there are some objections

1 dilute   

vt.稀释，冲淡；adj.稀释的，冲淡的

参考例句：

• The water will dilute the wine.水能使酒变淡。
• Zinc displaces the hydrogen of dilute acids.锌置换了稀酸中的氢。

2 diluted   

无力的，冲淡的

参考例句：

• The paint can be diluted with water to make a lighter shade. 这颜料可用水稀释以使色度淡一些。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields. 这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

3 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

6 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。