Radioactivity May Save the Pacific Bluefin
As sensationalized stories circulate about radioactive bluefin tuna in the Pacific, I can’t help but think that this could be the break that tuna really need.
The fact, as recently reported by Liberals Unite, is that every bluefin tuna tested in the waters off California has shown to be contaminated with radiation that originated in Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, which took place in March 2011. The story quotes a study by Stanford University that discovered radiation concentrations of cesium 134 and cesium 137.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued assurances that the levels of radiation found in the bluefin are within safe limits for human consumption, but I still read media outlets like Liberals Unite doubting the FDA data and questioning the wisdom of eating “hot” sushi.
I hope they keep it up. With enough buzz about radioactive bluefin tuna, perhaps the incredible commercial demand for this species will subside and prices will drop. With the decline in demand, perhaps the overzealous harvest of bluefin will abate.
I never thought that a nuclear disaster could be viewed in a positive way, but if trace amounts of radioactivity help kill the market for Pacific bluefin tuna, we can say that at least one good thing emerged from the Fukushima meltdown.
