Russian plant and animal health watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor is imposing enhanced radiation control over fish and other seafood imports from Japan, the agency said.
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"If it is found that maximum allowable levels of radionuclides are being exceeded, restrictive measures will be imposed against imports of such goods," the watchdog said in a press release. However, Russian imports of fish products from Japan are negligible, the agency added.
Rosselkhoznadzor also said it shares the concerns of a number of countries over Japan's release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean and the possible risks this could pose to the safety of food products.
Japan on Thursday began releasing water used for reactor cooling at the Fukushim-1 plant, which suffered a meltdown in 2011 following a major earthquake and tsunami.
The Federal Fisheries Agency said Russian vessels do not fish in the area where the water is being released. Nonetheless, agency head Ilya Shestakov has instructed Russia's Federal Fisheries and Oceanography Research Institute (VNIRO) to conduct comprehensive monitoring to assess the health of marine life in the area where the water from Fukushima-1 will spread, the agency said.
"The expedition will make it possible to make certain that the waters in the South Kurils area are safe and that there are no risks for fishing by Far Eastern fishers. A research team has been formed to conduct the monitoring and it will set sail on a research vessel of the institute's Pacific branch," the agency said.
The VNIRO scientists will carry out systematic monitoring and record radiation levels in the air, water, marine life and seafloor sediments.
An analysis of the materials collected in the course of the expedition will make it possible to formulate scientifically based theses on this important matter for the global environment, the Fisheries Agency said.
In general, the release of the water is not a cause for concern and Russian vessels are not fishing in this area at the moment, the agency said. ■