Japanese Tsunami Debris Washes Up on Monterey Bay Beach

Save Our Shores, an environmental group that helps keep beaches clean, reports that debris from the Japanese tsunami 16 months ago has washed up on Rio del Mar beach in Monterey Bay.

The debris is a blue buoy with Japanese writing on it, found by a local fisherman named Brendan, who contacted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Monterey.

A Japanese soap dispenser had been found on the same beach in March, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Save Our Shores has an extensive list of what to do if you find debris. Read it here. 

The biggest concerns are hazardous materials such as chemical drums and propane containers, which they suggest warrant a call to 9-1-1.

Avoid things that you can't identify, they advise.

Mementos, jewelry or things that can be traced should be reported to NOAA at Disasterdebris@noaa.gov. Large amounts of debris should be reported there.

So far the biggest debris has been found in Oregon, where a Japanese pier landed off an Oregon beach, as reported in the Los Angeles Times here.

Have you found any tsunami debris on San Mateo County beaches? Tell us in the comments section below.

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