A Japanese dock torn from its moorings during the 2011 tsunami has washed up on the Oregon coast. The dock, originally mistaken for a barge and weighing 165 tons, has tested negative for radiation, but officials are concerned it may have transported many non-native species across the Pacific. Previously stationed in the port of Misawa in northern Japan, the dock’s original owners have said “they do not want it back,” according to the BBC.
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has asked that tracking efforts be redoubled to monitor material still afloat following the tsunami. Japanese scientists have estimated that approximately 20 million tons of debris were washed away during the tsunami, and that a million tons of debris are likely still afloat.
