Radioactive cesium far beyond Japan's safety limit has been detected in a fish caught near the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant says the rock trout contained 510,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram.

That's the highest ever detected in fish and about 5,100 times the government safety limit.

The utility caught the fish on February 17th in a net put up around its own port at the plant.

TEPCO installed the net about a week before to contain contaminated marine life after detecting high levels of cesium in fish and shellfish caught in the port.

A fish caught in December at the same port contained 254,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram.
The new record is about twice that amount.

TEPCO says it will step up efforts to keep fish within the port and exterminate them.
Feb. 28, 2013 - Updated 09:51 UTC (18:51 JST)

SOURCE - http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20130228_31.html