Coast Guard: large dock washes ashore on WA coast
FORKS, Wash. (AP) - The Coast Guard on Tuesday spotted a large dock that has washed ashore in a remote section of Olympic National Park on the northwest Washington coast. Scientists are concerned it could be debris from the tsunami that struck Japan last year.
Federal, state and tribal agencies were working together to reach the site and evaluate the dock for any potential invasive aquatic species that might be aboard, said Dave Workman of the Washington state Marine Debris Task Force. They also want to conclusively determine the dock's origin.
It's not yet clear whether the dock is part of debris from Japan's March 2011 tsunami, Workman said Tuesday evening. The object is similar to a large dock that beached in Oregon over the summer.
The Coast Guard had been looking for the dock since a fishing vessel spotted it adrift in the Pacific Ocean last Friday. It washed ashore between LaPush and the mouth of the Hoh River.
"The Coast Guard was out in challenging conditions looking for a needle in a haystack and they found it," Gov. Chris Gregoire said in a statement.
A scientist studying tsunami debris from Japan believes the newly arrived dock may be one of four pieces from the fishing port of Misawa, Terry Egan, tsunami marine debris lead for Washington state, said this week. One of those pieces turned up at Newport, Ore., in June.
The National Park Service has closed the wilderness beach in the area until further information is known about any risks associated with the dock.
Olympic National Park protects over 70 miles of wild Pacific coast. Much of the coastline, including the dock's location, was designated by Congress as wilderness in 1988.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program has been leading efforts to collect data, assess debris and reduce possible impacts to coastal communities and natural resources.
The Japanese government estimated that the March 11, 2011, tsunami swept about 5 million tons of debris into the Pacific. Most of that sank immediately, while 1.5 million tons were dispersed across the North Pacific.
NOAA estimates the bulk of what is coming either has arrived or will in the next year or so - but that's a rough guess.
NOAA has received about 1,400 debris reports in the past year, including bottles and buoys. Of those reports, 17 have been confirmed as definite tsunami debris, including a 20-foot boat, pieces of which were recovered earlier this month in Hawaii.
Federal, state and tribal agencies were working together to reach the site and evaluate the dock for any potential invasive aquatic species that might be aboard, said Dave Workman of the Washington state Marine Debris Task Force. They also want to conclusively determine the dock's origin.
It's not yet clear whether the dock is part of debris from Japan's March 2011 tsunami, Workman said Tuesday evening. The object is similar to a large dock that beached in Oregon over the summer.
The Coast Guard had been looking for the dock since a fishing vessel spotted it adrift in the Pacific Ocean last Friday. It washed ashore between LaPush and the mouth of the Hoh River.
"The Coast Guard was out in challenging conditions looking for a needle in a haystack and they found it," Gov. Chris Gregoire said in a statement.
A scientist studying tsunami debris from Japan believes the newly arrived dock may be one of four pieces from the fishing port of Misawa, Terry Egan, tsunami marine debris lead for Washington state, said this week. One of those pieces turned up at Newport, Ore., in June.
The National Park Service has closed the wilderness beach in the area until further information is known about any risks associated with the dock.
Olympic National Park protects over 70 miles of wild Pacific coast. Much of the coastline, including the dock's location, was designated by Congress as wilderness in 1988.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Debris Program has been leading efforts to collect data, assess debris and reduce possible impacts to coastal communities and natural resources.
The Japanese government estimated that the March 11, 2011, tsunami swept about 5 million tons of debris into the Pacific. Most of that sank immediately, while 1.5 million tons were dispersed across the North Pacific.
NOAA estimates the bulk of what is coming either has arrived or will in the next year or so - but that's a rough guess.
NOAA has received about 1,400 debris reports in the past year, including bottles and buoys. Of those reports, 17 have been confirmed as definite tsunami debris, including a 20-foot boat, pieces of which were recovered earlier this month in Hawaii.
I got that song stuck in my mind .... I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay, Watching the tide roll away, Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay, Wastin' time
@The WA Mama Thanks, now guess what song I'm singing :)
@swansong68 You're welcome! LOL!
There was a big dock on the beach between Sand Point and Yellow Banks over Labor Day weekend, but no one said a word about that.
It's just too bad they didn't locate it while it was still at sea so they could have towed it to a safe harbor. On one blog earlier someone said the dock was full of styrofoam. Ifs so and if it breaks up that would create a much larger mess and threaten wildlife who often eat the small bits thinking it is food. Same goes for cigarette filters.
I would wonder why it would not sooner or later get smashed to pieces.
Cool to see the picture of the Wilderness area with the dock and the bear standing above it!
 @BlueH20 Where's the bear? I'm not seeing it.
@Petwlkr @BlueH20 Gotcha!
Isn't it nice that we get to pay to get rid of the junk that keeps coming our way?
 @Thepriest I take it you'd prefer we get a major earthquake and tsunami that sweeps everything here away and want Japan to pay for anything that comes their way? You're pathetic.
 @Thepriest it's not like Japan did it on purpose.  Give them a break!
I am just wondering where else the officials might think this could come from? Is anyone else missing a piece of a dock?!
Who could destroy it faster, Edward or Jacob??? #TeamEdward #TeamJacob
 @ur 1 pea short of a pod What no team Emmit? LOL
Thanks for officially making me sick of Twilight.
These docks are pretty durable....couldn't we just use them for the 520 bridge? The junk we're building now sure isn't worth a rats arse.
@bagsofdirt : We better take a good close look at it. It could be a good example to learn how something can be made well enough to survive a trip across the Pacific.
""The Coast Guard was out in challenging conditions looking for a needle in a haystack and they found it," Gov. Chris Gregoire said in a statement"
Yeah, Gargoyle, hype it up. It landed on the coast, not 30 miles out at sea. The coast guard always does an incredible job, but stay out of this before you ruin it for them.
 @northwestsurfer Somebody has a case of the Mondays, on Wednesday!
@stratoonist No, that was Tuesday when I wrote it. So that would have been a case of the Tuesdays, except I was not in a bad mood.