Tuna caught along Indian coast safe to consume, says CMFRI

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has said that the tuna caught along the Indian coast do not show any harmful parasite infestation and hence are safe to consume as a healthy diet.

The institute has advised consumers not to avoid tuna or other commercially available fish solely based on reports of parasitic infections detected in fish from a particular region. The advisory comes in the wake of reports highlighting the presence of parasites in skipjack tuna, based on a study conducted on fish from the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil.

CMFRI Director Grinson George said in a release that scientists at the institute regularly examine fish, including skipjack tuna, as part of fish biology studies and observe fish for abnormalities and parasites whenever necessary. The fish examined do not show external manifestations of harmful parasitic infestation, he added.

The institute said such findings from a particular geographical region should not be generalised to tuna caught in Indian waters.