fisn vas a vise one. Thre is recscn to bolicve thet e orto fecti nowes cone fined to the surface 3f the fich and cecured when the radicactive ashes fell and entered the ships h> With the d-cision of the United States Food and Drug Administration to monitor incoming shipments 2f tuna, the shipping companies >perating out of Japan initiated a requirement that the Japanese certify export shipments as being free of radioactivity. when f arrived in Japan on March 22, the Japanese had already monitored their first cutgoing shipment of frozen tuna. The Ministry of Welfare undertook to have its sanitation inspectors trained in the use of geiger counters and began the routine inspection of both incoming and outgoing tuna at five ports. #11 vessels were instructed to return to one of these ports, Five geiger counters were obtained from the Far Fast Command and loaned to the Japanese. In addition, they mustered approximately the same number from various sources in Japan, On Merch 24, at a conference with the Jepanese Covernment officials, they asked for my recommendation for maximum permissible contamination. They also asked that I recommend the kind of examination that should be made of the fish. » Because of ry unfamiliarity with the mechanical details of handling tuna shipaents, I suggested that I be permitted to study tune loading cpsrations scheduled for the following day. Thereupon it was arrarged thet T should accompany Jepanese officials to Yokohema where the Fetan yas being loaded with frozen albacor. Os ‘'S Tuna shipnzats involve many fish end it is not an easy ».atter to mtnitor ciperly with inexperienced personnel f and only a few survey instruments, sed on my inspection of the Fatan, I suggested that every tenth fish be “ont bored for about 1 minute by passing én open window Gi pe ever the eee of the fish, paying partieuser attention to the gills I also There renained the question of criteria for rejecticn of f fish fc:and 42 be cintaminated. Again it is not a sinple matter to evalucte the risk %2 2 cunsumer of tuna from mecsurements made in this way. I inforced the “op anase that Iwas unable to R28 a retlistic fisure vit. rut site stucye On the cther hand it : my belief that significantly cintamincted fish were not likely to be found. "th ow leval fall cut to the skins of the | fish sas, of course, a possibility. This seemed to be of little significance in view of existing cannery practices which strips the skins from the fish when pecesssing begins, I told the Japenese I would be standing by in » that they sheuld cintinue to minitcor the fish by the msthod IT - sed, end trat when and if c: ntaninats d fish «ere fcund I should ts ly to meke a first hand insrecticn advise d and given the opport unity int= and on what I found. f the fish, ly reconnendatisns would Wo cintarineted tuna heve heave occasionally reported apenese head not requested teen i brought to my attetions i News i