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Olympic oyster plague - 26th July 2021

A major Olympic venue in Tokyo has been plagued by some rare oysters, which have led to an alarming $1.28 million bill for urgent repairs.

Tokyo Bay's Sea Forest Waterway was constructed to host the canoeing and rowing competitions at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As such, final preparations for the upcoming events were well under way at the water sports venue when officials spotted a major problem.

Puzzled officials investigating why the floats had begun mysteriously sinking uncovered beds of rare oysters, which had fixed themselves to the safety devices. These are intended to stop waves from competition boats bouncing back across the water’s surface and onto the athletes. Remedying the situation has been a painstaking and lengthy operation.

Equipment laid out over a span of 5.6 kilometres had to be dragged ashore and repaired. Some items, too large to move, had to be cleared in place by teams of divers. The whole operation saw 14 tonnes of oysters cleared, but these were not just any oysters. Officials confirmed that the floats had been colonised by magaki oysters, a hugely popular delicacy during winter in Japan.

Unfortunately, the teams have not been able to take advantage of their bumper harvest. According to reports in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, one team member claimed, "We did not consider consuming them. That would entail safety checks."

This revelation seems a pity since, while their prices may vary from country to country, these oysters could have easily been sold for tens of thousands of dollars.

Sea Forest Waterway is the only watercourse in Japan built to international standards. Keeping the facilities afloat after the Games is expected to require $1.5 million a year, with the city council responsible for this. It seems the Tokyo authorities had better come up with a permanent solution to this expensive oyster plague.