Radioactive cesium exceeding the legal limit for consumption was found Saturday in young sand lance sampled off Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan where a troubled nuclear plant is located.

One of the four sample fish had a level of cesium of 570 becquerels per kilogram on Thursday about 1 kilometer off the city of Iwaki, and the other three measured 480 to 500 becquerels, Kyodo News reported Sunday. The limit is 500 becquerels under Japan's Food Sanitation Law.

The samples were taken after the species was found contaminated off Ibaraki Prefecture, although fishermen have voluntarily refrained from fishing off Fukushima, according to Kyodo.