Asia Bizz: Sea weeds and barnacles were removed from a tsunami wrecked dock on June 7, 2012 by the Environmental Protection workers. The dock was washed up on a US beach and the workers removed the sea weeds in order to protect it from invasive species from Japan.
The cleaning of the dock was ordered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife after a 20 metre long concrete and metal structure, which is the biggest piece of tsunami debris, reached the US West Coast. The structure landed on a beach in Oregon.
About a dozen workers and volunteers used shovels, rakes and other instruments to scrape the wreck clean. They also briefly used low pressure flame torches to sterilize the dock. Chris Havel, the spokesperson for Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) said that the Japanese marine life clinging to it could harm the local environment.
Havel added, “A species that evolves in an ecosystem evolves with natural checks and balance”. The spokesperson explained further that when an organism is taken out and brought in a new environment that balance is lost and it could also out compete the native species and animals. The native ecosystem is being disturbed and an imbalance is caused.
