For the first time since the Fukushima nuclrear disaster Japanese fishermen are given permission to work in local waters. This gives a little hope that the crippled fishing industry could wake up again.

15 months after the start of the nuclear crisis, boats in Soma, which is about 30 miles north of the plant, were given permission on a trial basis to start catching two types of octopus and whelks, selected because they are thought to trap fewer radioactive particles than other species, The Guardian reported.

After the catch was unloaded, samples were taken to a nearby lab, to which the Guardian was granted rare access. Staff dressed in white overalls, masks, hats and gloves sliced octopus tentacles into chunks, then wrapped them in plastic to be taken into an adjoining room for testing.

The two radiation-measuring devices in the lab revealed not even the slightest trace of radioactive iodine-131, and caesium-134 and -137.

In March, the government introduced stricter acceptable radiation levels in seafood, increased from 500 becquerels per kilo to 100 becquerels.

“There may be very tiny amounts, but they are so small they don’t even register on equipment as sophisticated as this,” says Noriaki Haga, the fisheries official in charge of testing.

The octopuses are tested again after they have been boiled, in preparation for sale.

Despite proof that this particular delicacy is safe, Fukushima’s fishermen concede that the consumers they once depended on to make a living have yet to be convinced.

The tsunami and nuclear disaster which happened in March last year have left negative impact on the region’s fishing industry, affecting not only consumers’ fidelity, but also financial indicators and causing huge loss of most of the fishermen.

Ref.110.110.110.1561