Tsunami-loosened dock on Oregon coast raises concerns about future debris, foreign organisms, what to do with it

Lori Tobias
The Oregonian
June 7, 2012

A massive dock that landed this week on Agate Beach more than a year after the Japan tsunami ripped it from its moorings is raising all kinds of questions about how to dismantle it and what to do with countless organisms that hitched a ride onboard.

But none of the questions is quite so vexing as this: How does something 66 feet long by 19 feet wide by 7 feet tall float thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean without anyone seeing it?

“I find it extremely odd that something this large could cross the ocean and not be spotted by anybody given the sophisticated equipment and all the attention that is supposed to be focused on this debris,” said Tom Towslee, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden’s office.

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This article was posted: Thursday, June 7, 2012 at 8:32 am

Tags: domestic news

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