A dock washes up near La Push at Olympic National Park. (Photo / U.S. Coast Guard)
A large dock someone spotted floating along the Western Washington coast last week was found today near La Push on the Olympic National Park coastline.
The Coast Guard could not confirm from its helicopter search whether the dock is another piece of debris carried over from the March 2011 tsunami that struck Japan, according to a Department of Ecology release.
The dock had washed ashore on a rugged coastline between La Push and the mouth of the Hoh River when Coast Guard searchers found it.
Federal, state and tribal agencies are now coordinating on how to reach the dock, so they can find out where the dock came from and inspect for any invasive species. The wilderness area will be closed to the public until further notice.
The Coast Guard started looking for the dock after a fishing boat spotted it Friday. Gov. Chris Gregoire praised the team that found it, saying the mission was like “looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Anyone who spots something that looks like possible tsunami marine debris can send a report to DisasterDebris@noaa.gov. As of last Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had received at least 1,432 ocean debris reports, 17 of which have been confirmed to be tsunami debris.