A boot has washed ashore on a beach in Shismaref, Alaska, and there are suspicions that it may be debris from Japan's Fukushima disaster. However, Gay Sheffield of the UAF Marine Advisory Program believes it may be ship debris from the sinking of the South Korean trawler processor ORYONG, which occurred in December 2014. Peter Murphy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration agrees that the boot could be from any number of sources, but notes that it appears to be in relatively good condition, suggesting it has not been in the water for long. The writing on the boot is in Korean. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Service warns of potential toxins, toxicants, or sharp objects in marine debris.

Observation: Found a boot on beach, it just washed ashore. Japan (?) bottles & canned goods are spotted on the coast now maybe from Japan's Fukashima? Sharon F. Nayokpuk, Native Village of Shishmaref

University of Alaska Fairbanks Consult: 9-2-15 "I am not sure I can be of help...but is the label in Japanese or Korean? Last December we had the South Korean trawler/processor ORYONG roll and sink while actively fishing in a storm approx. 200+ miles SW of Saint Lawrence Island...and only ~15 miles west of the maritime border. There was a tremendous loss of life (>50 souls) with this sinking as well. My first thought is this may be ship debris from this event. Second guess would be general marine debris from the Bering Sea commercial fishing fleet - pick a country. I am not betting on it being from the tsunami associated with the Fukushima nuclear disaster...yet." Gay Sheffield, UAF Marine Advisory Program

National Oceanic and Atomospheric Administration Consult: 9-3-15 "Definitely an interesting piece of debris. Of course it's always hard to tell from photos, but the boot looks to be in relatively good condition (colors still relatively bright, and the logo is quite legible), which may suggest it hasn't been in the water very long (months rather than years), since things tend to fade and become more degraded over time. I would certainly agree with Gay that it could be from any number of sources. Assuming its adult sized, it coming off of a fishing or other commercial vessel in the Bering certainly makes sense." Peter Murphy, NOAA

Alaska Department of Health and Social Service Consult: 9-3-15 Dr. "I agree that marine debris arriving in Alaska from Japan (unless they are enclosed containers) are unlikely to have any radiation levels of health concern. However, a general word of caution is warranted about containers that may contain potential toxins, toxicants, or sharp objects. I learned a few weeks ago from Janna Stewart, tsunami marine debris group ADEC, that the contents of an outgoing shipment of marine debris collected from Alaska shores were randomly screened for radiation with a Geiger counter, but that all radiation levels were within background." Ali Hamade, DHSS

LEO Comment: The writing on this boot is in Korean, as Gay suspected.

Media:

Alaska Public Media – Fukushima radiation yet, and unlikely, to affect Alaska seafood, by Avery Lill, KDLG