a fish was a wise onc, There is reason to believe that contamination was confined to the surface of tee fish ant ceovrel wien the radiosetive es fcll anc. entered the ships held, With the dccision cf the United States Food and Drug Administration to monitor incomin; shipments of tuna, the snippins companies operating cut of Japan initiated a requirement that the Japancse certify export scipszents as being free cr radioactivity. When I arrivod in Japan on March 22, the Japanese had alreacy monitored their first outgoing shipment of frozen tuna, The Ministry of Welfare uncertook to have its sanitation inspectors trainee in the use of geigor countors an’ began the routine inspection of both incoming and outgoing tune at five ports, All vessels were instructed to return to one af these ports, Five seiscr counters wore cbtainec from the Far Eest Command and 1 losned to the Japancso, In adcition, taney mustorec approximately the sane nunber from various sources in Japan. On March 22, at a conference wits the Japanesc Government officials, thoy aske¢. for my reconmondation for maximum permissible contamination. They also asked that I recommene the kind of oxamination that shoulé be nace of the fish, : Becauso of my unfamiliarity with the mechanical coeteils of hancling tuna shipments, I sussestoc that I be permitted to study tuna loscin; operations scheculod for the following day, Thereupon it was arrangec that I shoul. accompamr Japanese officials to Yokonema where tne Satan was tcing loada. with frozen albacor. Tune shipments involve mam fish anc it ie not an casy mattor to nonitor oroperly with inexperiencec yersonnel anc only a few survey instrumcnte, Bascc om my inspection of the Batan, I sugcested that evory tenth fish be monitoree. for about 1 minute by passing an open wincow GM probe over_the surface of the fish, paying particular attention ts the sills. I also instructed them to insert the probe into the mouth of the tuna anc into tne abcominal incision throuch the fish, There remainee the question of criteria for rejection of fieh founc to be contaminated, Again it is not a simplo matter to evaluate the risk to 2 corsumor of tuna from measurcments made in this way, I informed the Japanese thet I was unable to propose a realistic fizurc without sone stucy., On tie other hance it was ny belicf that significantly contaminates fish were not likeli to be founé, Low level fall out to the skins of the fish was, of course, a possibility. This scemec to be of Little significance in view of existing cannory practices which strips the skins from tle fish when processing begins, I toli the Japanese I woulc. be stancing by in Tokyo, taat thoy should eontinuc to monitor tix fish by the «.ethoc I proposec, anc that when ané if contaminate. fish wore found I snould be acvised anc siven the opportunity irmociately to make a first hand inspection of tne fish. My recommendations woul, depend on what I found, ko contaninatcct tuna have buen brought to my attention, Nowspapcrs have occasionally reportec incomin: shipments of contaminated fish but tro Japanese had not remnant I make an exanination of then, CONFBEL