PHOTOS: Derelict Japanese Boat Found and Removed from Oregon Beach

Vessel with Japanese writing was located at Muriel Ponsler Memorial Wayside, north of Florence.

Courtesy: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

(FLORENCE, OR) - A 24' nonmotorized boat was removed from the ocean shore near Muriel Ponsler Wayside north of Florence at 7 p.m., Mar. 14, 2013. Leisure Excavating from Florence transported it to a local landfill.

No pollution or other hazardous materials were detected, but there was marine life clinging to the debris.

According to ODFW biologist Steve Rumrill, gooseneck barnacles, mussels, seaweeds and other marine organisms were attached to the hull.

Some of these marine organisms are suspected to be non-native species. Samples were sent to the Oregon State University for identification.

The boat was first spotted the morning of Mar. 14, 2013 by a volunteer marine debris monitoring team organized by the Oregon Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

There is Japanese writing on the vessel, but its exact origin and date it was lost haven't been determined. Several months ago a dock from the Fukushima tsunami washed onto an Oregon beach, there was no word as to whether or not this boat's derelict status was directly attributable to the disaster in Japan.

Source: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department