Japan fears radioactive contamination of marine life

Fukushima coastal waters sees high levels of radioactive iodine, which could build up in seaweed commonly eaten in Japan

guardian.co.uk, Ian Sample , science correspondent, Wednesday 30 March 2011

Radioactivity fears deliver a double whammy to Japanese fisheries which
have already been badly hit by the tsunami. Photograph: Everett Kennedy Brown/EPA

High levels of radiation in the sea off the coast of Fukushima have raised concerns over harm to local marine life and the risk of contaminated fish, shellfish and seaweed entering the food chain.

Tests on seawater near the nuclear power plant showed that levels of radioactive iodine reached 3,355 times the legal limit on Monday, one of several peaks in recent days that have fallen rapidly as radioactive substances decayed and were steadily diluted and dispersed by ocean currents.

Officials are watching levels of iodine-131 in seawater because although it has a half-life of eight days, meaning it is half as radioactive after that time, the substance builds up in seaweed, a common food in the Japanese diet. If consumed, radioactive iodine collects in the thyroid and can cause cancer.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said iodine-131 in seawater would "soon be of no concern" presuming there are no further discharges of contaminated water from the power station into the sea.

The IAEA added that Japanese authorities have released the first analyses of fish, caught at the port of Choshi, in Chiba prefecture south of Fukushima, which found one of five to be contaminated with a detectable level of caesium-137, a far more persistent radioactive substance, though at a concentration that was far below safety limits for consumption.

Many countries, including Britain, have begun radiation testing of fish, shellfish and other fresh produce from Japan or have imposed wider bans on imports from the region. Fisheries are not entering waters within the 20km (12-mile) exclusion zone around Fukushima, said Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

The fate of many local seafood and shellfish farms, including scallops, oysters, sea urchins and sea snails, was sealed more than two weeks ago when the tsunami wiped out beds and destroyed fishing vessels and ports around Fukushima. In Iwate prefecture, authorities say the disaster may have wiped out businesses that account for 80% of the revenue of the region's fisheries.

At the Fukushima power plant, engineers continued the arduous task of trying to pump contaminated water from turbine rooms and trenches, which is hampering work to connect the reactor cooling systems to the national grid.

Tepco, the power station operator, plans to spray parts of the site with a resin to stop radioactive dust blowing off the site and is considering shrouding the reactor buildings with sheets to reduce radiation being released into the air.

Fish and other sea creatures are unlikely to be seriously harmed by the radioactive leaks, even in the most contaminated areas. After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, fish in three freshwater lakes within the exclusion zone became contaminated with radioactive caesium but showed no obvious health problems, though some fish were born with reproductive abnormalities which may have been caused by radiation, said James Smith, an environmental physicist at Portsmouth University who studied fish in the area.

While fish accumulate radioactive contamination, this happens less in the ion-rich waters of the oceans than in freshwater lakes.

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Dolphin toll from BP oil spill far higher: study

Feds forbid scientists probing Gulf dolphin deaths from speaking to media

Dolphin toll from BP oil spill far higher: study

Google/AFP, by Kerry Sheridan (AFP)

Scientists in the Gulf of Mexico remain concerned after finding 17 dead
baby dolphins washed up on beaches in the region

WASHINGTON — The discovery of more than 100 dead dolphins on Gulf of Mexico shores likely reflects only a small fraction of the total killed by the BP oil spill last year, a study suggested on Wednesday.

The actual toll among cetaceans, a group of mammals that includes whales, narwhals and dolphins, may be as much as 50 times higher, said the Canadian and American research team in the journal Conservation Letters.

"The Deepwater oil spill was the largest in US history, however, the recorded impact on wildlife was relatively low, leading to suggestions that the environmental damage of the disaster was actually modest," said lead author Rob Williams from the University of British Columbia.

"This is because reports have implied that the number of carcasses recovered, 101 (as of November 2010), equals the number of animals killed by the spill."

Looking back at annual death rates over the past decade, researchers estimate that 4,474 cetaceans died each year from 2003 to 2007, but an average of just 17 carcasses washed up annually on the northern Gulf of Mexico shores.

That indicates an overall carcass recovery rate of 0.4 percent of total estimated mortality among cetaceans in the area. When broken down by species, researchers determined there was a two percent mean recovery rate.

"If, for example, 101 cetacean carcasses were recovered overall, and the deaths were attributed to oiling, the average recovery rate (two percent) would translate to 5,050 carcasses, given the 101 carcasses detected," said the study.

Previous studies have suggested that dead sea animals that turned up following the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska in 1989 also represented a small portion of the overall toll.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Sunday updated its figures from what it terms a "cetacean unusual mortality event" to 390 "strandings" -- 96 percent of them were "stranded" dead and four percent alive.

The deaths were tracked in the northern Gulf of Mexico from February 1, 2010 to March 27, 2011.

Scientists in Mississippi and Alabama raised new concerns last month after they found 17 baby dolphins washed up dead on the shores in the span of two weeks, more than 10 times the normal rate, in the first birthing season since the BP disaster.

Florida officials have also noted above average numbers of manatee deaths for two years straight, possibly due to cold water temperatures off the waters of the southern state, though the effects of the BP spill could be a contributing factor.

The burly swimmers, sometimes known as sea cows, are not considered in the same group as cetaceans.

The disaster was set off when the Deepwater Horizon, a rig which BP leased to drill at the Macondo well, exploded on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers and unleashing more than 205 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Related Article:

Feds forbid scientists probing Gulf dolphin deaths from speaking to media

Feds forbid scientists probing Gulf dolphin deaths from speaking to media

Yahoo News, By Brett Michael Dykes

(Photo: Patrick Semansky/AP)

Last month dolphin corpses began washing up on the Gulf Coast in alarming numbers. Well, more dead dolphins continue to be found, bringing the total this year up to 114--100 more than the average number of dead dolphins that washed ashore during the first three months of any year between 2002 and 2007.

So, naturally, there are quite a few people interested in what might cause such dramatic increases in marine mammal mortality. But Mississippi's WLOX reported recently that government testing on the animals has been slow to commence, and Reuters reported over the weekend that a gag order has been put into place forbidding wildlife biologists at the National Marine Fisheries Service to talk to the media about their findings.

Reports Reuters:

The gag order was contained in an agency letter informing outside scientists that its review of the dolphin die-off, classified as an "unusual mortality event (UME)," had been folded into a federal criminal investigation launched last summer into the oil spill.

"Because of the seriousness of the legal case, no data or findings may be released, presented or discussed outside the UME investigative team without prior approval," the letter, obtained by Reuters, stated.

One veteran biologist-- speaking on the condition on anonymity -- told the news agency that fellow government scientists are "confused" and "angry" about the order because it leaves outside "marine experts out of the loop completely" and it "throws accountability right out the window."

Meanwhile, Gulf Coast residents already convinced that their government is either lying to them about the situation in the Gulf or doing everything in its power to suppress bad news (or both) aren't likely to find such reports reassuring.

"The government's full of more crap than a bathroom at a Taco Bell," one Louisiana fisherman told this reporter over the weekend. "Anybody down here with a lick of sense knows that."

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Tsunami ravaging Kesennuma port (Video)

March 2011's tsunami ravaging Kesennuma port, destroying everything on it's path.

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Hundreds of dead starfish wash up on Talybont beach

BBC News, 24 March 2011

The common starfish is found around the coast of the British Isles

Several hundred dead starfish have been found washed up on a north Wales beach.

It comes following the discovery at Talybont, between Harlech and Barmouth in Gwynedd.

Council maritime officer Barry Davies said it is common for starfish to be washed ashore during spring tides but it was not clear why they had migrated so far up the shoreline.

Barmouth harbour committee chairman said an inquiry is needed.

Councillor Trefor Roberts said: "What I would like is a full scientist report on what caused the deaths of these starfish."

Mr Davies said he did not think anything suspicious has led to the deaths of the starfish.

Seagulls

He said that the common starfish - found around the UK coast - feed on mussels and other crustaceans and while there is no clear reason why the starfish migrated so far along the coast he felt one reason could be a shortage of food.

"We are confident that the cause is not related to pollution or to a vessel having dredged the starfish and discarded the starfish overboard," he said.

Although a distressing sight to see, he said the starfish were not a hazard and would probably be consumed by seagulls.

Talybont resident David Haddon said: "I can understand one or two dying, but there have been occasions where loads of jellyfish have died in this area."

Navy training linked to at least 3 dolphin deaths

AP, Mar. 26, 2011

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Naval training exercise that included an underwater blast off San Diego's coast has been linked to at least three dolphin deaths earlier this month, prompting a probe into whether the military violated the federal law that protects marine mammals.

Navy officials, who reported the deaths of the long-beaked common dolphins following the March 4 detonation off the coast, say they were following proper procedures and will continue with the training.

The National Marine Fisheries Service plans to take another look at the Navy's pending request to disturb marine mammals between Imperial Beach and Coronado, where it conducts amphibious and special warfare training, agency leaders told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Friday.

The Navy's application, which has been in the works for years, says it does not anticipate any dolphin deaths due to training. But following the March 4 incident, the fisheries service opened an enforcement case to determine whether the Navy violated the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which is designed to safeguard dolphins, whales and similar creatures.

Along with the three deaths reported to the fisheries service, two other dead dolphins were found later, but it's not clear if they were injured by the Navy exercises.

Environmentalists have called on the Navy to suspend activities involved in the deaths and conduct a transparent investigation.

But Navy officials said the program it calls "mission-critical" would continue. They said they were following proper procedures on the day of the blast and are conducting their own investigation to see if changes are necessary.

"We have an excellent track record in our training and have exacting standards that we apply to try to prevent these types of incidents," Cmdr. Greg Hicks, a spokesman for the Navy's Third Fleet, told the Union-Tribune. "We do our best to protect marine life while conducting essential training."

Hicks said there were no dolphins in view when the training countdown began, and when they could be seen it was too late to stop safely.

He could not say how many underwater blasts the Navy has performed at the site in recent years. Documents show the Navy's permit request for underwater explosives involve up to 415 "small" detonations during 311 training events a year.

Underwater explosives are important for clearing obstacles out of harbors so ships can enter. When the Navy practices with them offshore, Hicks said observers look for dolphins, seals, whales and similar creatures that might swim into the danger zone.

Michael Jasny of the Natural Resources Defense Council, which years ago sued the Navy to minimize damage to whales by sonar, said the Navy doesn't have the best environmental record when it comes to ocean life.

"There is training and there is training safely with full safeguards for the protection of the environment," Jasny said. "They haven't always done that."

Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.signonsandiego.com

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Dutch seal shelter to open in Canada

RNW, 26 March 2011

A Dutch seal shelter is to open a second a second facility in Canada hoping to sway public opinion to ban seal hunts completely.

The shelter, based in the northern province of Groningen, will open the facility in Nova Scotia. It set up its first facility in Canada three years ago. A Canadian volunteer is currently being trained in the Netherlands.

The news comes on the same day that the Canadian authorities set the quota of seals to be killed this year at nearly 500,000, a 20 percent increase over last year. Since 2007, annual quotas have risen every year.

Hunted for their fur and meat, most seals are clubbed to death. Worldwide, some 900,000 seals are killed every year, more than half of them in Canada.

Earlier this month, Lenie 't Hart, who founded the Groningen seal shelter 40 years ago, announced she was retiring.

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Canada, which has argued that its annual seal hunt
is conducted humanely, is challenging the European
Union's ban on the import of seal products. A WTO
dispute panel will be assembled to hear the case.
((Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press))

Beetles take over Surfers Paradise

Goldcoast, Jessica Johnston | March 24th, 2011

THOUSANDS of beetles are swarming Surfers Paradise in a never before seen phenomenon that has stumped local scientists.

Picture of beetle invasion in Surfers
Paradise. Sent in by reader Norman
Herfurth.

The water beetle invasion captured on amateur youtube footage shows the large black beetles swarming around lights and dropping to the footpath on The Esplanade last night.

Griffith University entomologist Professor Clyde Wild said he had no definitive explanation for the rare phenomenon.

''I've never seen swarms of these like this before, why they are at the beach front escapes any explanation I can think of,'' Prof Wild said.

''You might see two or three on any given night - this is literally thousands.

''They haven't come out of the sea, they live in fresh water and live on larvae, or eating other insects.''

Prof Wild said he would be less surprised if the invasion had occurred in areas that had recently flooded.

''If there was masses of flowing water, a lot of habitat, it would make more sense.

''But it hasn't been that wet on the Gold Coast so it's a very curious phenomenon.

''They can fly very well, kilometres, but if for instance they were breeding in a river, or a swamp that had dried up, I can't see the connection as to why they would relocate to the beachfront.''

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Why are birds falling from the sky? - Gaia / Pepper Lewis

“2011 and Beyond” - What you are seeing, and why - Jan 16, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Text version)

"The whales beached themselves because the magnetics of the earth shifted so greatly that their navigational system [the magnetite in their biology, which is their migration compass] steered them right into the land. The land didn't move; the magnetics did. Therefore, you might say their internal inherited migration map was flawed. The reason it's not happening now is because the calves, the generation beyond the one that beached themselves, figured it out and rewrote the maps. Nature [Gaia] does this. So the next generation didn't repeat it. Instead, it realigned itself to the migratory lay lines and now whales don't beach themselves nearly as often."

Radiation in seawater off nuclear plant spikes to 1,250 times normal

CNN News, By the CNN Wire Staff, March 26, 2011

Workers in protective suits prepare Thursday to decontaminate two
nuclear plant workers in Fukushima, Japan.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• The previous day, levels were only 104 times above normal
• A Tokyo Electric official says it's not known what caused the spike
• Radiation in seawater near nuclear plant tests 1,250 times above normal
• Radiations levels in tap water in Ibaraki prefecture now considered safe

Tokyo (CNN) -- Tests showed a sharp spike in levels of radioactive iodine in seawater just offshore of the embattled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant are more than 1,250 times higher than normal, Japan's nuclear and industrial safety agency said Saturday.

In samples taken Friday morning from a monitoring station 330 meters off the coast, the levels were 50 becquerels of radioactive iodine per cubic centimeters of water. This compares to 4 becquerels -- which is 104 times above normal -- in samples taken from the same spot the previous morning.

These high levels suggest there may have been some sort of leakage directly into the ocean -- unlikely to be because of atmosphere emissions or rain alone, said an official with the Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the nuclear plant.

A Tokyo Electric official told CNN that authorities are not sure why the levels spiked. The official speculated that the radioactive iodine may have been swept off the coast recently into the Pacific Ocean or the tainted water may have seeped from turbine buildings for two nuclear reactors that have shown the presence of radiation 10,000 times the normal amount.

Still, an official with Japan's nuclear safety agency told reporters Saturday that -- while drinking such tainted seawater would be dangerous, given the radiation's potential to cause cancer -- the effect on aquatic life imay be relatively minimal.

That's because the radiation tends to dilute, the farther one moves away from the nuclear plant. Data posted on the Japan's education and science ministry website showed relatively small amounts of radioactive particles several kilometers offshore.

The International Atomic Agency reported online Saturday that radioactive iodine and cesium was detected 30 kilometers (19 miles) offshore, but it said that these levels differed only slightly from the previous day.

That said, its potential effect on Japan's fishing industry -- even if consumers stay away, for simple fear of contamination -- remains a major concern. So, too, is the fact that authorities have yet to pinpoint the exact source of the radiation, and thus to determine if it's stopped.

The latest data, from Friday, posted online by Japan's education, science and technology ministry show continuing evidence of airborne radiation in prefectures around the nation. Still, in no cases is the exposure considered harmful to human health -- and, in fact, in many cases, radiation readings have gone down.

In the Fukushima prefecture where the plant is located, officials had screened 87,813 people for radiation exposure as of Thursday, Japan's nuclear safety agency said a day later in a news release.

Of those 98 people had tested above limits for exposure, but once their clothes were removed and other measures taken, the exposure levels dropped and there was no effect on health.

The agency also said screeners have examined thyroid glands of 66 children ranging in age from 1 to 15 and found that the "level of exposure of no problem."

The thyroid gland, particularly in children, can readily absorb radiation, health experts say.

Meanwhile, authorities continue to monitor radiation levels in tap water around Japan.

RELATED TOPICS

• Japan
• Nuclear Energy
• Earthquakes
• Tsunamis

Information from Japan's education, science and technology ministry indicate the presence of radioactive iodine in the tap water of 12 prefectures. This does not include Fukushima and Miyagi, where measurements aren't being taken because of damage from the March 11 earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

The government of Ibaraki prefecture reported Saturday that radiation levels had fallen considerably in the past 24 hours -- to levels that now would be considered safe enough even for babies to drink.

Levels of radioactive iodine, taken Friday from water treatment facilities that serve the cities of Tokaimura and Hitachi, range from 31 to 97 bequerels per kilogram of water.

This is below the 100 becquerel threshold at which authorities advise it not be drinken by infants under 1 year old -- and well under the 300-becquerel threshold for adults.

A day earlier, water samples from four sites in Ibaraki had levels between 119 becquerels of radioactive iodine to a high of 230 becquerels, all above the recommendations for babies.

A second batch of data released Friday from Tokyo's waterworks bureau showed levels remaining steady at 51 becquerels of radioactive iodine per kilogram of tap water.

There were 76 becquerels from samples from Asaka purification plant, which serves Saitama prefecture, according to data on the Tokyo government site.

The previous day, Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara lifted the previously announced recommendation that babies not drink tap water after tests from Tuesday night showed levels of radiation more than twice the limit for babies.

There was also good news Friday's in the Chiba prefecture, where all five water treatment facilities had levels of radioactive iodine less than 100 becquerels per kilogram of tap water. The previous day, two plants in Chiba had reported high levels.

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Mothers receive bottles of water at a distribution office
in the Adachi ward of Tokyo. The government has warned
that infants should not be allowed to consume tap water.
(Haruyoshi Yamaguchi, Bloomberg / March 24, 2011)

Japan's Chernobyl? Radiation pressure fears at Fukushima plant

Sudden flooding a phenomenon called meteo-tsunami

The Times of India, Paul Fernandes, TNN, Mar 25, 2011

PANAJI: The unusual flooding of Morjim and Baga beaches showed signs of respite on Thursday, but a tsunami expert said it may have been caused by a meteo-tsunami on the lines of a similar phenomenon in Kerala during the past decade.

"There were no strange meteorological disturbances seen on the state's coastline," the source said. There was no depression in atmospheric pressure nor was the wind abnormally strong, though it blew in gusts and may have contributed partly to the flooding.

"It appears that a wave from a storm far in the sea travelled a long distance to the state's coast," the source said. A similar phenomenon, which local people in Kerala mistakenly thought was a tsunami, had hit the southern state's Poonthura coast in May 2005, April 2007 and February 2008.

Referred to as 'kallakkadal' (literally sea surges in unnoticed like a thief) by Kerala fishermen, the flooding of the coast that followed has been documented in international journals, sources said.

The impact of flooding is more intense when it occurs on supermoon spring tides. "The case of Baga and Morjim was one such, and it was caused by wave set up" the source said. The sea water level rise showed signs of receding in Baga on Thursday.

"The water level rose seven metres on Tuesday, five metres on Wednesday but only three metres on Thursday," shack owner Mario D'Souza said.

"We had never seen anything like this earlier," Morjim shack owner Jenny Madeira told TOI.

Though the impact and destruction caused by geophysical tsunamis has evoked fear globally, the impact of meteo-tsunamis is lesser known, yet they can cause havoc on a smaller scale in fewer locations.

"The event in Baga and Morjim, unlike Kerala, may be a new event," the source said.

The flooding events and detailed accounts of meteotsunamis in the world has been provided by NIO scientist Anthony Joseph in his book, "Tsunamis: Detection, monitoring and early-warning technologies", published in February 2011.

Huge sea waves on the coast or meteorological tsunamis are caused by atmospheric gravity waves, atmospheric pressure jumps, wind waves and other factors, but may result in less impact.

"Other mechanisms that may result in a meteo-tsunami include tide-generated internal waves, wave superposition, wind-current interaction, wave-current interaction and atmospheric shockwaves (say, from volcanic activity)," the source added.

The atmospherically generated ocean waves, whose origin remains shrouded in mystery, have been observed in recent sea-level records from coasts, among others, of the Adriatic Sea, English Channel, and Washington (USA) and notoriously in several locations in the Mediterranean Sea.

"Meteo-tsunamis some times closely resemble rogue waves, freak waves, or giant waves," the source said. The sea enters land without any meteorological disturbances and no warning signs.

70 Dolphins to Swim Free Thanks to Famous Rescuer

Jakarta Globe, Ismira Lutfia | March 24, 2011

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About 70 captive bottle-nose dolphins are awaiting release back into the wide open sea thanks to the efforts of two animal care institutions under the supervision of international dolphin trainer-turned-rescuer Richard O’Barry.

Jakarta Animal Aid Network and the Earth Island Institute have built a 90-square-meter sea pen in Karimun Jawa National Park — the world’s largest for a dolphin rehabilitation program — to house the aquatic mammals temporarily before releasing them back into their natural habitat in the waters off the northern coast of Java.

“Once they are moved into the sea pen, they will experience the natural rhythm of the sea. That’s where their families are, or what’s left of them,” said O’Barry, who was featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Cove” in 2009.

He was speaking on Wednesday at the official launch of the five-year protection and rehabilitation program for the ocean-going mammals with support from the Ministry of Forestry.

O’Barry has assisted similar programs in other countries after he gave up his previous job as a trainer, which included coaching five dolphins for the television series “Flipper.”

A survey by JAAN found that the majority of dolphins in captivity were poached from Central Java’s Karimun Jawa National Park while three dolphins originated from the Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten.

The group carried out the survey after they were informed by concerned parties of a traveling circus featuring dolphins as one of its attractions.

Other dolphins were found in five institutions operating under the guise of conservation, education and therapy organizations, which had allegedly obtained the animals illegally from poachers on the northern coast of Java.

JAAN spokesman Pramudya Harzani added that the Central Java-based traveling circus, which he did not name, has five troupes in the archipelago.

“This is the last traveling dolphin show in the world and Indonesia is the only country to have such a show,” O’Barry said, adding that the claim captive dolphins could be used for educational or conservation purposes was “a form of bad education and a spectacle of dominance.”

He said that to discourage the growth of such businesses, people should stop buying tickets to watch dolphin shows, since doing so increased the demand for poached dolphins.

“I am hoping the dolphins can go home to the sea soon,” O’Barry said. “There’s no the point to the dolphins staying in a tank swimming around in circles.”

Dolphin 'Rescued From Field After Japan Tsunami'

Jakarta Globe, March 23, 2011

Japanese pet shop owner Ryo Taira rescuing a young finless porpoise
from a flooded rice paddy two kilometers inland, in Sendai, Miyagi
prefecture, on Wednesday. It was reportedly washed inland by the
tsunami. (AFP Photo)

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Japanese animal rescue volunteers saved a porpoise from a rice field after it was washed two kilometers inland by the March 11 tsunami, the Asahi daily reported on Wednesday.

Ryo Taira and his group were in the devastated area around Sendai rescuing cats and dogs when they received a phone call that took them a while to comprehend, the mass-circulation daily said in an online report.

“There’s a dolphin in the rice fields!” said the caller, Masayuki Sato, 55, confusing the baby porpoise with the similar-looking sea mammal.

The volunteers rushed the site at nearby Ishinomaki, where they saw the animal -- a finless porpoise or “sunameli” (Neophocaena phocaenoides) -- wriggling in a flooded rice field.

They made a stretcher from car parts and a futon mattress they found in the tsunami wreckage, and tried to catch the porpoise with a net.

When the animal eluded them, Taira waded into the field in his rubber boots and picked it up in his arms, the report said.

With local aquariums damaged by the disaster, the volunteers decided to cover the animal in wet towels, put it in their car and return it to the sea.

Sato, the caller, later told the Asahi: “Immediately after I spotted it, I realized I could not ignore it. I had to do something. This was also a victim of the tsunami.”

He said he remembered seeing the animal rescuers’ phone number on a poster in a quake and tsunami evacuation centre.

Taira told the newspaper of his thoughts as he watched the animal swim off into the Pacific Ocean: “I don’t know if it will survive, but it’s much better than dying in a rice field, right? It’s good.”

Agence France-Presse