‘Devastating, Alarming, Dire’ Situation Continues To ‘Mystify And Stump’ Scientists – Conditions Along West Coast Continue To Deteriorate With No Answers In Sight

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by Stefan Stanford, All News Pipeline:

Even though it’s been quite some time since we’ve published a story about the devastation that the radiation from Fukushima power plant has caused the Pacific Ocean and parts of the West Coast, we felt it time to revisit what’s happening there. Especially considering the recent news stories outlined below about Fukushima and the fact that nearly 6 years later, the radiation from the destroyed power plant continues to endlessly flow into our atmosphere and into our oceans.

Back on January 18th, outgoing US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker declared a ‘fisheries disaster’ for nine West Coast species, claiming ‘commercial fisheries failures’ in Alaska, California and the state of Washington.

While the NOAA statement made DID NOT put the blame for the failures upon radiation from Fukushima, they did claim ‘unusual ocean and climate conditions’ for the huge losses. And as we learn more below from several new stories, what’s happening there is really only the ‘tip of the iceberg’. As Zero Hedge reported back in October of 2016, “Fukushima Radiation Has Contaminated The Entire Pacific Ocean (And It’s Going To Get Worse)”. As we learn below from NOAA, it has.:

In recent years, each of these fisheries experienced sudden and unexpected large decreases in fish stock biomass or loss of access due to unusual ocean and climate conditions. This decision enables fishing communities to seek disaster relief assistance from Congress.

In Alaska:

Gulf of Alaska pink salmon fisheries (2016)

In California:

California Dungeness and rock crab fishery (2015-2016)
Yurok Tribe Klamath River Chinook salmon fishery (2016)

In Washington:

Fraser River Makah Tribe and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe sockeye salmon fisheries (2014)
Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay non-treaty coho salmon fishery (2015)
Nisqually Indian Tribe, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and Squaxin Island Tribe South Puget Sound salmon fisheries (2015) Quinault Indian Nation Grays Harbor and Queets River coho salmon fishery (2015)
Quileute Tribe Dungeness crab fishery (2015-2016)
Ocean salmon troll fishery (2016)

The new story from ENENews reports on the government’s ‘declaration of disaster’ over diseased and dying fish on the US West Coast as well as why most scientists remain ‘mystified’ and ‘stumped’ over this ‘devastating…alarming…dire’ situation that only seems to be continuing to deteriorate with no answers in sight.

However, we can see by looking at the conversation recently held between Washington governor Gov. Jay Inslee and the US Department of Commerce that they are both very well aware of very poor conditions in the Pacific Ocean. Why won’t they mention radiation as the cause?

Gov Jay Inslee Request: I respectfully request that you declare a commercial fishery failure due to a fishery resource disaster in Washington State. This request is based upon the failure of coho salmon runs returning to Washington State in 2016… Coho salmon returns to Washington watersheds in 2015 were unexpectedly low due to poor survival during the time these fish spent in marine waters of coastal Washington and the Pacific Ocean… Expectations for coho returns in 2016 are very poor due to persisting poor conditions in the Pacific…

US Dept. of Commerce, Jan 18, 2017: Dear Governor Inslee… Your request relates to the impacts to the 2016 ocean salmon troll fishery as a result of the failure of coho salmon runs returning to Washington State due to unusual environmental conditions in the Pacific Ocean that have led to the poor survival and growth of coho salmon…

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