For the three people following this story, the Mystery of the Perry Nuclear Plant Goldfish has been SOLVED!
Basically, two workers admitted to smuggling five goldfish into the plant earlier this year (though only two were found). Four other workers admitted to knowing about the “prank,” as The PD’s John Funk writes.
A quick suggestion to these jokesters: Mayhaps they’d like to take advice from middle school students in terms of pranks and humor. Come on, goldfish in a nuclear plant?
Management promises swift punishment and likely expulsion from their union. – Eric Sandy
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From May 15:
Security investigators are having a hell of a hard time tracking down the criminal or prankster or moron who left a pair of radioactive goldfish in a steam tunnel at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant earlier this month. The PD reports that the plant’s surveillance footage is inconclusive because everyone’s wearing yellow radioactive suits, including hoods. (So….dead end?)
To be clear, the goldfish presented no immediate safety threat. But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is watching Perry’s investigation closely, especially in light of a series of snafus and worker performance issues over the past few years. Right now, they’re most concerned about what the goldfish say about the “culture” of the power plant, and questions surrounding unauthorized access.
“Goldfish are not authorized to be inside the tunnel, yet they were there,” a representative from the Union of Concerned Scientists told the PD. “And Perry cannot determine how they got there or who put them there. What if it hadn’t have been goldfish but a bomb? What might be an amusing account of misplaced goldfish today could become tomorrow’s nightmare story.”
This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2013.
It’s inflammatory and irresponsible to compare goldfish to a bomb. I’ve worked in nuclear power for twenty years. We have security protocols to detect chemical residues, metals etc. You can’t expect screening to detect two tiny pieces of meat. You could get them on a plane as well. They are not a security threat, they are an example of midguided and unprofessional behavior by a contract worker. I respect differing opinions on nuclear power and debate is always healthy….but the Union of Concerned “Scientists” lack credibility. They have an agenda and this is one more example of their willingness to use the media to scare people and manipulate the public’s lack of education when it comes to nuclear power. For the record this is also NOT “amusing”. The responsible party needs to be found and banned from the industry.
We really only have to be concerned if the goldfish come back to life due to the radiation. If they stay dead, no problem!
Oh, and ironically, these goldfish lived longer than the ones that I purchase from the pet store. Those usually die in a day or two.