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Asahi beer crate is likely not tsunami debris, officials say

An empty Asahi beer crate that drew some news attention Sunday after washing ashore in windward Oahu does not appear to pose any threat of carrying invasive species to Hawaii shores, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

After examining photographs of the crate, the decision was made by federal and state aquatic officials to take no further action, department spokesman Deborah Ward said.

Hawaii residents have been on the lookout for alien flotsam after the first confirmed marine debris from the March 2011 Japan tsunami arrived in Hawaii on Sept. 18.

Carey Morishige, a coordinator for a federal marine debris program, said officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have seen numerous varieties of floating beer crates prior to the tsunami.

“We’ve seen a lot of different ones,” she said.

The Asahi beer crate landed on Bellows Beach Sunday.

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