Dear Supporters,

The list involved in the massive radioactive shrimp recall is growing. Hopefully we'll know the source of the cesium 137 radioactive contamination, beyond it originating with nuclear production. Pirate fishing didn't cross my mind until Tim Deere-Jones offered his thoughts on the subject (see in quotes below). Tim is a marine biologist based in the UK who is an expert in radioactivity and consults to industry on cargo safety. 

But first, as you know, Japan began systematically dumping Fukushima radioactive wastewater into the Pacific Ocean in August of 2023 and will continue for at least 30, quite possibly 40 years or longer. The recalls started 2 years nearly to the day that the  ocean dumping program began. All the more reason for FDA to address the Citizen Petition on cesium 137 that was filed 12 years ago (and which the agency knows about due to petition signers like you).  This is the MoveOn petition "companion" to the FDA petition for comment.  Now new information points to a strong possibility that illegal fishing for feed may be the connection to shrimp farmed in Indonesia. 

Tim Deere-Jones states that "Indonesia has a large and growing shrimp farming/aquaculture industry. Farmed shrimp are usually reared on man-made protein feeds consisting largely of various fish meal pellets derived from sea food by products usually consisting of anchovy, sardine, squid, miscellaneous discards, fish oils and possibly krill type species. These species are around the lower middle range of the marine food webs and well capable of a significant degree of bio-accumulation on their own account and of playing a significant role in bio-accumulation/bio-magnification of Caesium 137 in the shrimps which are fed on them."

"It is widely reported that Indonesia is largely reliant on imports to meet domestic demand for fishmeal aquaculture feeds. These shrimp foodstuffs are generally purchased on the open market, not necessarily labelled with time and/or sea area of harvest/capture or subject to controls such as the investigation of pollutant content. From the global record, I suspect a high probability that these parameters apply to much of the fishmeal supply to Indonesian shrimp farmers. Clearly there is a natural impetus for aquaculture farmers to purchase the lowest price material to raise their stock on. Given the very low reported levels of Cs 137 in Indonesian marine environments, there is a strong possibility that the food fed to the shrimps is the source of elevated Caesium 137 in the batches of shrimps detained at US ports and possibly sold on the USA open market. I consider it likely that such material, often harvested by “pirate fishers” could be contaminated with Fukushima derived Cs 137, at endemically high levels in some Pacific sea areas. It is strongly advised that the source/origin of the foodstuffs."

In closing, we don't officially know yet if Fukushima is or isn't involved in these massive recalls. However, there’s no doubt that, two years into massive ocean dumping of long-lived radionuclides including cesium 137, Fukushima has and will impact seafood going forward, and US agencies including the FDA need to meet the challenge. Shrimp is just the wake-up call. 

Please take a minute to call FDA at 1-888-SAFEFOOD today to share your concerns and to demand that the agency respond to the Citizen Petition docket FDA-2013-P-0291-0001.

Thanks, and please source your food mindfully!

Kim

Kimberly Roberson, Director 

Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network

A Project of the National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy