On Dec. 16, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) dedicated its new NOAA Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center, located on Ford Island in Honolulu.
China bans NW shellfish imports
SEATTLE (AP) – China has suspended imports of shellfish from the U.S. West Coast, cutting off one of the biggest export markets for Northwest companies and prompting fears of a months-long shutdown.
More suspected tsunami debris washing ashore
By Becky Bohrer The Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Two-and-a-half years after an earthquake and tsunami devastated parts of Japan, suspected debris from the disaster continues to quietly wash ashore in Hawaii and along the West Coast of North America.
Washington state receives clean-up funds from Japan
By Staff The Associated Press JUNEAU, Alaska — The five West Coast states affected by debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan are about to receive an initial $250,000 each from a $5 million gift from Japan for cleanup.
Contractor hired to remove Japanese dock from Washington beach
By Staff The Associated Press SEATTLE (AP) — A Port Townsend, Wash., company hired to remove a 185-ton chunk of Japanese tsunami debris that washed ashore on a remote Washington beach in December hopes to complete the removal by the end of March.
West Coast prepares for more tsunami debris in winter
By Alicia Chang AP Science Writer LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) — Volunteers who patrol California beaches for plastic, cigarette butts, and other litter will be on the lookout this winter for flotsam from last year’s monstrous tsunami off Japan’s coast.
Personal items recovered from tsunami debris
By Malcolm Foster The Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — A teenager who lost his home in Japan’s devastating tsunami now knows that one prized possession survived: a football that drifted all the way to Alaska.