[/floatr]Asahi: Fear of exploding fish ends Tsukiji market ritual
The smell of fish assails the nostrils the moment one steps off the train at Tsukiji Shijo... As most of these were fresh fish, I wondered about what would happen if their owners did not claim them before they spoiled. Do fish dealers take them back? I asked a veteran fish market worker if this was the case, and he said it was until 2005. It worked this way: In keeping with the rules of the market, a dealer would buy the ownerless item and the market would hand over the proceeds to the police. If the owner did not come forward after six months, the person who reported the item got to keep the money. This was a good system that made everybody happy. However, it was discontinued in the summer of 2005 for the sake of "security and safety." The new rule states that all ownerless items be thrown into a garbage bin at the end of the day. I am told this is a "countermeasure against terrorism." Authorities became anxious that an ownerless fish in their safekeeping might explode...more...
