In the 12 years since the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant caused by a deadly tsunami in northeastern Japan, "there hasn't been much good news", fisherman Masahiro Ishibashi told AFP.
The cooperative he belongs to has faced tight fishing restrictions, and consumers have avoided produce from the region over radiation concerns.
And as the plant operator prepares to release wastewater treated to remove radioactive elements into the sea, the fishing community fears further reputational damage.
So when tiger pufferfish -- an expensive variety of the notorious "fugu" -- began to appear in their catch, they saw an opportunity.
Fugu is often served raw at high-end restaurants in Japan, where chefs must hold a licence proving they can safely slice around organs that contain a lethal poison.
Now, each morning at Matsukawaura port, 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Fukushima Daiichi, boat crews heave buckets overflowing with fat, dark-spotted tiger pufferfish into the arms of waiting family members.
For 43-year-old Ishibashi, the fish marketed as "fukutora" -- meaning "lucky tiger" -- lives up to its name.
"We're catching new, attractive species, and drawing attention from consumers. We can show them that fish from Fukushima is safe and delicious," he said.
Five years ago, not much tiger pufferfish was caught off Fukushima, but local authorities say warmer-than-usual water temperatures may have helped the species thrive.
The increased catch is, however, mainly down to the employment of longline techniques learnt from fugu fishermen in southwestern Yamaguchi, which helped the region's fisheries bring in nearly three tonnes of tiger pufferfish in 2019.
That figure soared ten-fold in 2022, after official restrictions on fishing were lifted following extensive radiation testing.
- Water release controversy -
But there are new worries for the community as the Fukushima Daiichi operator prepares to begin releasing treated wastewater into the sea this year.
More than a million tonnes of treated water is stored in tanks at the plant, where a tsunami triggered by an undersea earthquake on March 11, 2011, led to the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
The liquid is a combination of contaminated groundwater, seawater, rainwater, and water used for cooling, all filtered to remove various radioactive elements.
Storage space for the water is running out, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has endorsed the release plan.
The water still contains radioactive tritium, but at levels that the government, plant officials and the IAEA say are safe, because it will be diluted before being released over several decades through a kilometre-long pipe.
An IAEA task force will monitor the release "until we are absolutely sure that it's finished as expected, in line with the IAEA safety standards", task force chair Gustavo Caruso said in January.
Plant operator TEPCO has also started trials to keep fish in the filtered water to demonstrate safety.
Still, neighbours South Korea and China have expressed alarm at the possible environmental impact, and Ishibashi fears consumers will be spooked again.
"We're worried that the reputation of our produce could become even more tarnished," he said.
"But the government has decided to allow the water release. We really cannot accept this. We feel so helpless."
- Fugu boom -
An unofficial arrangement allowing Fukushima fishermen to sail to waters outside the prefecture, and vice versa, has been abandoned since the disaster.
Because of this, and with fewer fishermen at work, Matsukawaura's total annual catch remains just 20 percent of pre-2011 levels.
Although radiation testing rules for Fukushima seafood were relaxed in 2021, the region's fisheries still check their produce voluntarily, sticking to stricter limits than the national standard.
The testing regime also applies to the newly abundant tiger pufferfish, which hotel operators like Yoshimasa Kanno, 48, hope will help attract tourists back to Fukushima.
Kanno, also an experienced seafood chef, is "very happy" about the fugu boom.
"We used to serve snow crab in the winter. This place was famous for it. But since the disaster, fishermen haven't been able to catch as much" because they can't leave Fukushima waters, he told AFP.
Having carefully removed the deadly parts of a tiger pufferfish, he rustled up the classic dishes of crispy fried fish and thinly sliced, translucent raw sashimi.
Kanno says the delicacy "is delicious and can be served at a good price".
But he fears the fallout from the upcoming water release.
"I'm very worried about whether the fishing industry in this region will ever make a comeback if the water is released," he said.
The controversial plan to release Fukushima plant's wastewater
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan (AFP) Feb 15, 2023 -
Twelve years after a nuclear catastrophe triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami, workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeast Japan are preparing to release treated wastewater into the sea.
Operator TEPCO says the water has been filtered to remove most radioactive elements, and calls the release both safe and necessary, but there has been domestic and international opposition.
- Why does the water need to be released? -
The site produces 100,000 litres (3,500 cubic feet) of contaminated water daily. It is a combination of groundwater, rainwater that seeps into the area, and water used for cooling.
The water is filtered to remove most radionuclides, and more than 1.32 million tonnes of treated water was being stored at the site as of February.
That accounts for 96 percent of storage capacity, so TEPCO is keen to start releasing the water soon.
Under a plan approved by the central government, the process is expected to begin this spring or summer.
- Is it safe? -
TEPCO says several filtering systems, including in its ALPS facility, remove most of the 62 radioactive elements in the water, including caesium and strontium, but tritium remains.
Experts say tritium is only harmful to humans in large doses, and TEPCO plans to dilute the water to reduce radioactivity levels to 1,500 becquerels per litre, far below the national safety standard of 60,000 becquerels per litre.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said the release meets international standards and "will not cause any harm to the environment".
Neighbouring countries, including China and South Korea, along with activist groups such as Greenpeace and some local residents are strongly opposed to the release.
Local fishermen fear the release would once again make consumers wary of buying their catch.
"We have suffered reputational damage since the disaster, and we will go through that all over again, starting from zero," fisherman Masahiro Ishibashi, 43, told AFP.
- How will the water be released? -
The operator is constructing more filtering facilities on the shore and a kilometre-long (0.6-mile) underwater pipe to release treated water over several decades.
"We don't plan to release the water all in one go, it will be a maximum of 500 tonnes a day of the total 1.37 million tonnes of ALPS-treated water," TEPCO official Kenichi Takahara told AFP.
"It will take 30 to 40 years, the time required for decommissioning the plant."
The operator will cap the amount of radioactivity from tritium discharged at 22 trillion becquerels per year, the national annual standard for wastewater releases before the accident.
- What has the reaction been? -
Japanese diplomats have been briefing nearby countries on the plan, and TEPCO is meeting local residents in a bid to win support.
Their latest project involves keeping fish in the treated water.
"Fish kept in the ALPS-treated water... do ingest tritium, to some extent. But once the animal is transferred to normal seawater, the level of tritium in the fish quickly lowers," said Kazuo Yamanaka, in charge of the trials.
He keeps hundreds of flatfish and other sea creatures in several tanks at the plant, half with ordinary seawater and the other in treated wastewater, diluted to around the same level as the liquid that will be discharged.
He runs a live stream of the fish on YouTube, and plans to expand the trials to seaweed.
"When we spoke with local residents, they said they wanted to see fish living healthily in the ALPS-treated water," he said.
"They said they would feel more reassured when they saw it, rather than just seeing data and numbers."
It remains unclear if TEPCO's efforts can win over fishing communities that are still struggling to recover from the disaster.
"I don't think the fisheries of Fukushima will truly recover until the day the nuclear plant shuts down," Ishibashi said.
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