A boat from Japan that washed up on California’s Catalina Island last week gave local residents a cause to wonder. Did it reach our shores after being lost at sea after the 2011 Japanese tsunami?
“I uncovered the small yellow tag/decal with Japanese writing on it,” said Pacifican Jeff Christner. “Prior to this, only the Yamaha Motor Co. tag was visible. I literally scraped away some of the mussels to reveal the small yellow tag.”
That tag translated to “place tanks here,” which led some to conclude the boat had been used for diving.
GGNRA officials examined the boat last week to see if the marine life that encrusted it would pose a threat to our local ecosystem.
“It was heavily encrusted with barnacles and other marine species,” said Alexandra Picavet, spokesperson for GGNRA. “We have not been able to conclusively connect it with the March 11, 2011 tsunami, but it looks like it has been in the water for a long time.”
Click here for the full report by the Pacifica Tribune.
