Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Alaska waters, seafood remain safe from distant nuclear crisis in Japan, state officials say

The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan have shocked and saddened the world, and have raised concerns about the possibility of a widespread radioactive release.

What does this mean for Alaska's air, water and seafood?

The governor, along with state military affairs and health officials, yesterday issued this press release that said in part:

There is no immediate or anticipated threat of harmful radiation reaching Alaska or its waters, therefore all seafood and other food items produced in Alaska are safe to consume.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute has established an internal "incident command structure" to track developments and "make sure we are getting correct information out to our seafood industry partners and customers regarding the current situation in Japan," spokesman Tyson Fick told Deckboss today in an e-mail.

"Although we do not consider the events in Japan to be a crisis for Alaska Seafood at this time, establishing an Incident Command Structure allows us to be ready should the situation escalate," Fick said.

He added that ASMI's long-time marketing representative in Tokyo, Lee Sung Hwa, and her family "are okay and doing as well as can be expected."

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