Lethal
pufferfish sold as 'crystal fish' in Malaysia
PETALING JAYA • Unscrupulous fishmongers and
fishing trawler operators in Malaysia are taking advantage of escalating fish
prices to push potentially lethal pufferfish fillet into the market.
Hundreds
of kilogrammes of the fish are taken back to shore to be sold in wet markets in
Penang, Kedah and Perak as "crystal fish" after they have been
filleted.
The fillet
is reportedly being sold at RM18 (S$5.80) to RM20 per kg.
The
Malaysian health ministry has said it is coming up with a regulation to make
the sale of pufferfish illegal unless its toxins have been removed first
through proper gutting.
Pufferfish are known to be poisonous to
humans as they contain tetrodotoxin, a substance toxic enough to kill a person
in a few hours when ingested in amounts of as little as 25mg.
From 1985
to 2014, the health ministry has recorded 55 cases of pufferfish poisoning and
17 tetrodotoxin- related deaths.
In the northern states, pufferfish fillet is
offered at eateries as "fried fish meat", and as a component of
appetisers in Chinese wedding banquets at hotels and restaurants, particularly
in Penang.
A source
told The Star pufferfish fillet could be half the price of alternatives. The
source said: "Hawkers and restaurant owners used to use Spanish mackerel
(tenggiri) and grouper fillets, but their prices have risen tremendously over
the last two years.
"By
turning to pufferfish fillet, hawkers and restaurant owners are able to reduce
their costs by half."
A Penang
fishmonger operating in the Batu Lanchang market said the fillet was a hot item
as it was delicious when fried.
"I
have been selling this for the past few months, and nobody has fallen sick or
died," he said. "Therefore, I think it's safe to eat."
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