There is no evidence of an increase in radiation in the environment “much above background level” as a result of the 2011 tsunami in Japan that caused meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear energy plant, the president of the Vancouver Aquarium said Tuesday.

John Nightingale, a professional biologist, said despite what people may have read or heard, levels of radioactive isotopes such as Cesium 134 and 137 remain low.

“Scientists have been monitoring the ocean environment now for a long time — basically since the Second World War,” he said at a news conference at the Vancouver Aquarium. “The amount of radiation from various compounds has grown a bit and changed over the years, but in many cases it is still below detectability thresholds.”

When Nightingale was asked whether any of the debris washing up along the B.C. coast was radioactive, he said: “No, there is no evidence from any scientific source that we’re seeing much of an increase yet.”

Peter Ross, director of the ocean science program at the aquarium, said later in a phone interview that while he doesn’t want to speak for official federal government agencies, he understands that there have already been at least three studies based on monitoring air, milk and a variety of fish species.

“All of those studies, as I understand it, revealed zero or a slight uptick in the contamination level as assessed using the latest techniques,” he said. “From my perspective, when I interpret all the information I’m getting, there is no cause for concern.”

Environment Minister Mary Polak announced that the provincial government was distributing $270,000 to the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup to cover the cost of tsunami debris removal along the west coast of Vancouver Island.

The money is part of $1 million given by the government of Japan to help cleanup tsunami debris. So far, $646,000 has been distributed to indigenous and community groups for projects to clean up and remove the debris from remote areas of the west coast.

Under the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, a total of 59 shorelines totalling 88 km have been identified for cleanup.

The magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami three years ago killed almost 19,000 people and caused the meltdown of three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s tsunami debris website, an estimated 4.5 million tonnes of debris was washed out by the tsunami — 70 per cent is believed to have sunk near Japan, and 30 per cent floated away and dispersed.

Material with a larger sail area to catch the wind started to arrive along the Pacific Northwest coastline in the winter of 2011-2012. NOAA expects tsunami debris to continue washing up along the Pacific Coast shoreline for several years.

Jill Dwyer, manager of Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, said so far the amount of debris washing up on the west coast of B.C. hasn’t matched predictions.

“Debris washes up from other countries including Japan all the time,” she said, adding that it’s “difficult to determine whether debris is form the tsunami event.

“In our opinion, it doesn’t really matter. Debris is debris that needs to be removed. We know that there are shorelines that are in need of cleanup on the west coast of Canada.”

Dwyer said the $270,000 will go toward cleanup in remote areas including transportation to and from beaches and shorelines, removal of debris and cleanup supplies.

So far, more than 2,30o volunteers have signed up at the tsunami debris registry at ShorelineCleanup.ca/tsunami

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup started in 1994 when a group of staff and volunteer from the Vancouver Aquarium conducted the first cleanup in Stanley Park. Since then, it has grown to include 58,000 Canadians a year in cleanup programs across the country.

Anyone who sees anything on a beach that appears to be pollution or hazardous material can call the Provincial Emergency Coordination Centre at 1-800-663-3456.

kevingriffin@vancouversun.com