Tsunami Dock Draws Tourists: Should it Stay or Go?

People are flocking to an Oregon beach to see a Japanese dock that floated across the Pacific after last year’s tsunami. But state officials aren’t interested in turning it into a tourist spot.

Some residents who live nearby want to see the dock left on Agate Beach as a memorial to tsunami victims.

Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman Chris Havel said Wednesday that the state feels the integrity of the beaches should be preserved.

He says if some artists want to use pieces of the dock for a memorial at another site, something might be worked out.

The state is pressing ahead with its removal. It is weighing bids on proposals to dismantle the dock or to tow it off the beach for use in a port.