Tsunami debris team reaches dock on Wash. coast
FORKS, Wash. (AP) - Tsunami debris experts have reached a dock that washed ashore on a remote beach on the Washington coast and found Japanese writing in one of the holds.
Washington state Ecology Department spokeswoman Kim Schmanke says the team did not find an identifying plaque like the one found on a dock that washed up on an Oregon beach last June. That dock was confirmed as debris from the March 2011 tsunami that hit Japan.
The spokeswoman says the writing and new photos are being shared with the Japanese consulate in an effort to confirm this dock as tsunami debris.
The debris team inspected five dock surfaces, attached a tracking beacon and took live samples of potentially invasive species. No schedule has been set for trying to remove the dock.
The dock was spotted Tuesday by the Coast Guard on Washington's rugged Olympic Peninsula. The site is about five miles from the nearest road.
Washington state Ecology Department spokeswoman Kim Schmanke says the team did not find an identifying plaque like the one found on a dock that washed up on an Oregon beach last June. That dock was confirmed as debris from the March 2011 tsunami that hit Japan.
The spokeswoman says the writing and new photos are being shared with the Japanese consulate in an effort to confirm this dock as tsunami debris.
The debris team inspected five dock surfaces, attached a tracking beacon and took live samples of potentially invasive species. No schedule has been set for trying to remove the dock.
The dock was spotted Tuesday by the Coast Guard on Washington's rugged Olympic Peninsula. The site is about five miles from the nearest road.
I can understand volunteers inspecting debris from Japan for personal items in an attempt to return them as a humanitarian effort - that is if anyone really wants a piece of personal derbies that has soaked in the Pacific Ocean all this time.  But its not likely that these "experts" are proving anything with tagging this stuff and investigating it - like they are finding anything new - we knew it would come across the ocean.  So a Japanese dock snuggles up to the coast and a team was paid to id some Japanese writing and swab it for organisms - probably the same one that come into port with every Japanese tanker.  What is the importance of spending money on this when we have things more important to address.  I could understand if Japan wanted all its trash back and was paying the cost  Did we really need to invent a new type of expert?  "Experts" come with large payrolls and that's about all they come with.
I wonder what the qualifications are needed for a "Tsunami Debris Expert"? Masters in hoarding and general clean up..
I have to agree with others here. To my thinking there are many other items that could be better funded then psuhing money towards this. I like to think I am as Eco friendly as the next person but I have a hard time justifing this in lean times.
Why do we need to waste taxpayer money on a "Task Force" and a 5 mile trek thru the rain forest in bad weather?......
just leave it, stop wasting tax payers money and risking those peoples lives. this is not the first thing to float from japan to wash, this has been happening for ever being logs fishing buoys bottles ect.
Exactly, and how much do we pay these "Tsunami Debris Experts"? It's not hard to walk up to it and realize you cant read the plates on it because its in Japanese...Then grab a propane torch and cook anything on the outside. I'll take that job for 60k... Bargain prices here..
@nunof uors I agree. Even as a liberal-eco wackjob, I say leave it there. Its remote, not accessible by anyone and not a danger to sea life
so if something naturally washes across the ocean after a natural event the organisms are "invasive". Boy we would have been really busy during the continental drift trying to keep everybody where they belonged.
Debris from the Japanese earthquake could be radioactive. I fully support this effort and think others who don't are being naive. We need to understand the impact of what occurred in Japan and this is part of that process.