Japanese officials sort through tsunami debris in B.C.
Debris levels will peak on B.C. shores in March 2014, experts predict
A delegation of Japanese officials toured Vancouver Island today, sorting through debris that crossed the Pacific Ocean after a powerful earthquake triggered a massive tsunami in Japan in 2011.
The group included members from non-profit organizations, the Japan Environmental Action Network and the Japanese Ministry of Environment.
On a sandy beach in Ucluelet Thursday, they found numerous plastic bottles, a slipper, heavy wooden beams most likely used as rafters, and even remnants of marine species they believe came from Japan.
The Japanese government has given Canada $1 million to help support the cleanup.
Experts predict debris levels will peak on B.C. shores in March 2014 and continue to wash up for several years.
The tsunami killed 16,000 people in Japan.