A barrier has been set up in a fishing port in the northern part of Okinawa’s main island in southwestern Japan to prevent more pumice stones from drifting in.
The stones began appearing along the coast of the prefecture earlier this month, affecting local fishing and tourism. They are coming from an undersea volcano that erupted in August near the Ogasawara island chain in the Pacific Ocean.
Workers used a boat on Saturday to install the barrier at the entrance of Hentona port in Kunigami Village.
NHK aerial footage shows large volumes of pumice stones drifting offshore.
Work to remove the stones from the port has been underway since Friday. Workers are using power shovels to scoop them up.
The clean-up operation is expected to take two to three weeks to complete.
A fisherman in his 70s said he hasn’t been out to fish since pumice stones began arriving.
He said that he is grateful for the removal work, but he is worried whether he can resume fishing as the stones are also drifting at sea.
About the Author
