Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 7: In connection with the reports that over 150 people from Dakshina Kannada district had fallen ill after consuming flesh from the head region of Kemberi (red snapper) and Thonde (puffer) varieties of fishes, food and civil supplies minister, U T Khader, advised people to abstain from consuming them. He pointed out that experts have said that some varieties of fish contain toxins. He advised the district administration and fisheries department to spread awareness about the need to desist from consuming these two varieties of fishes as scietists have arned about possibility of presence of harmful toxins in them.

Khader was speaking at a meeting of fisheries scientists, experts from fisheries college, and officials relating to health and hygiene as well as food security, convened on Thursday October 6 at the office of the district deputy commissioner here. "Fish processing units should not use heads of these fishes as food in their canteens. They should also take care to see that their employees do not carry the fish heads home," he instructed.

Deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, Dr K J Jagadish, asked the deputy director of fisheries to set up a committee comprising scientists, fisheries department officials, health officers, and food safety officials for studying this aspect and submit a report at the earliest. He warned that fisheries processing units which overlook the instructions will face stringent punitive action.

Senior scientist, Karuna Sagar, stated that a variety of fishes have toxins, but such fishes are rarely found in India. Insisting that the fishes which played havoc with the health of the people were not caught from the local coast, and that the actual spot where they were caught would be known only after the boat which brought these fishes is identified, Marine Authority official, Ashok Kumar, asserted that there is a need to create awareness about use of fishes. Dr Pratibha, scientist of city unit of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, said that toxins are found only in certain varieties in some species of fishes, and geological influence creating this phenomenon cannot be ruled out.

In-charge fisheries director said that red snapper fishes had been supplied to the city with loads of other fishes from Kochi to fish processing units here between September 29 and October 1.

Zilla panchayat member, Mamata Gatti, additional deputy commissioner, Kumar, dean of fisheries college here, Dr Venugopal, district health officer, Dr Ramakrishna Rao, Dr Rajesh, and several others were present.