Recently, a large number of dead fish have appeared off the coast of Hakodate City, Hokkaido, Japan, mainly sardines, and the dead fish carcasses stretch for about a kilometer on the beach, emitting an unpleasant fishy smell. According to the local **, after preliminary investigation, the cause of the dead fish may be a lack of oxygen, which is not related to the nuclear wastewater discharged from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. However, this claim has been questioned by some netizens and experts, who believe that nuclear wastewater may be one of the main culprits in the imbalance of marine ecology.
According to Japan's "Asahi Shimbun", on the morning of December 7, a ** of the Hachinohe Space Base of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force was patrolling when he found a dense number of dead fish floating on the sea, and then reported to the Coast Security Headquarters of the Second District. The Coast Guard Headquarters immediately dispatched patrol boats and officials to the scene to investigate the distribution and number of dead fish. It is estimated that the total weight of the dead fish reached about 20 tons, of which sardines were the main ones, with a small amount of other fish such as mackerel and sea bream. The carcasses of dead fish were washed up on the beach by the waves, forming white ripples and emitting an unpleasant fishy smell that attracted large numbers of scavengers such as seagulls and crows.
According to the local **, after preliminary investigation, the cause of the dead fish may be a lack of oxygen, which is not related to the nuclear wastewater discharged from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It is reported that the local ** took samples of the dead fish carcasses and tested the water quality and the content of radioactive substances, and the results showed that the water quality and the content of radioactive substances were within the normal range and did not exceed the standards stipulated by Japan**. The local** also said that the phenomenon of dead fish may be due to changes in sea temperature, which led to a decrease in dissolved oxygen in the seawater, making the fish unable to breathe and dying. The local ** has started the clean-up of the dead fish, and plans to transport the dead fish carcasses to the garbage treatment plant for incineration.
However, this claim has been questioned by some netizens and experts, who believe that nuclear wastewater may be one of the main culprits in the imbalance of marine ecology. Some netizens left messages on social ** saying that the test results of Japan** are not credible, the discharge of nuclear wastewater may have caused irreversible damage to marine life, the phenomenon of dead fish is only the tip of the iceberg, and there may be more marine disasters in the future. Some experts also said that the discharge of nuclear wastewater may affect the pH, salinity, nutrients, etc. of the ocean, leading to changes in the marine ecosystem and affecting the survival and reproduction of marine organisms. They suggested that Japan** should carry out stricter supervision and management of the discharge of nuclear wastewater to avoid causing greater harm to the marine environment.
It is understood that after the nuclear accident at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, a large amount of nuclear-contaminated water was produced, and about 1.4 million tons have been stored so far, occupying most of the space of the nuclear power plant. Japan** has said that it will start discharging nuclear wastewater into the ocean around 2023, but it has met with strong opposition at home and abroad. Japan** claims that after the treatment of nuclear wastewater, radioactive materials other than tritium have been removed or reduced to safe levels and will not cause any impact on the marine environment and human health. However, some experts and environmental groups have questioned Japan's treatment technologies and standards, arguing that nuclear wastewater still contains other radioactive materials, such as carbon-14, strontium-90, plutonium-239, etc., which have a long quality author list half-life and may persist in the ocean for a long time, passing through the food chain to humans and other organisms, causing potential harm.