Fishermen in disaster-stricken areas say life now far tougher than last year

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi -- Following the April 1 introduction of new safety standards that limit allowable radioactive cesium in food to less than 100 becquerels per kilogram, fishermen in many disaster-stricken areas are saying life is worse now than it was last year.
"The tsunami last March was horrible, but life now is two, three times more difficult," uttered 59-year-old Kenichi Suda, a fisherman from Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, as he stood amid piles of rubble still remaining along the coast of the city over a year after the March 11, 2011, disasters. "If only there were no radiation problem," he said.
If the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant had never taken place, Suda, who is based some 100 kilometers from the damaged plant, would have been busy right now fishing for sand lance, whose peak season is in spring.
However, despite the fact that radiation screenings on the fish conducted this January showed doses below 100 becquerels per kilogram, Suda and other local fishermen belonging to a Miyagi prefectural fishery cooperative reached the decision to refrain from fishing this spring due to fears of radioactive contamination.


Fishermen in disaster-stricken areas say life now far tougher than last year－ 毎日ｊｐ(毎日新聞)