The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI), Kochi, has issued a consumer advisory regarding tuna and other commercially available fish in response to reports of parasitic infections detected in skipjack tuna from the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil. The Institute explicitly states that fish examined along the Indian coast, including tuna, have not shown external manifestations of harmful parasitic infestation and emphasizes that findings from other geographical regions should not be generalized to fish caught in Indian waters.
Dr Grinson George, Director of ICAR-CMFRI, confirmed that scientists at the Institute regularly examine fish including skipjack tuna as part of fish biology studies and observe them for abnormalities and parasites, with no external signs of harmful parasitic infestation found in their examinations. The Institute explained that parasite presence and abundance vary between individual fish and geographical regions depending on ecological conditions and the availability of intermediate hosts such as copepods, noting that variations in parasite occurrence are used globally as indicators for differentiating fish stocks or populations.
As food-safety precautions, ICAR-CMFRI advised that proper and prompt evisceration is important during fish handling and processing, noting that intestines and other viscera are normally removed during cleaning and processing. The Institute emphasized that proper cooking kills parasites and significantly reduces any associated food-safety risk, highlighting that in India seafood is generally prepared through cooking at high temperatures which provides an additional food-safety measure compared to countries where raw or lightly cooked seafood is consumed as part of cultural practices.
The advisory concludes that consumers need not avoid tuna or other commercially available fish merely because parasites have been reported in fish from a specific geographical region, recommending that consumers follow appropriate handling, cleaning and cooking practices to minimize potential risks while continuing to benefit from the nutritional value of fish and other seafood.