Karnataka - Mangalore   

Experts discuss how to reduce risk from poisonous shellfish

MANGALORE: Experts from several countries gathered at the College of Fisheries here to mull over ways to reduce the risk to life from harmful algae and biotoxins.

The five-day workshop assumes significance in the light of two recorded cases of death caused by shellfish that fed on poisonous algae. While one person died at Kumbla near here in 1983, four persons died and more than 400 people were hospitalised in Kovalam in Kerala in 1997. It is felt that increased monitoring is required to prevent further loss of life.

Algae, constituting the floating microscopic plant life in the oceans, occasionally show sudden growth called blooms or red tides. Some 200 of the 5,000 algal species are said to have harmful effects when they bloom, causing fishkill, shellfish toxicity and allergic aerosols on beaches.

Experts from China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, Japan, Denmark, Ireland and Sweden, besides India, have come together to evolve a monitoring mechanism to prevent harmful effects of algal bloom. The workshop throws light on the identification of harmful algae and their dormant cyst forms, modern DNA-based methods of their detection and detection of biotoxins by sophisticated Liquid Chromotography Mass Spectrometers. It will discuss the experiences of monitoring shellfish and safeguarding them for human consumption in developed counties like Japan, Denmark, Sweden, and Ireland, and their application for Asian countries.

Senior Fishery Industry Officer (Quality) of Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations I. Karunasagar told the workshop that the shellfish trade was 14 million metric tonnes in volume. It was 24 per cent of the fish trade by volume and 14 per cent by value. He pointed out that toxicity of shellfish was resulting in rejection of fish consignments and member countries had expressed concern over this.

Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University K.M. Kaveriappa said algal bloom occurred because of polluted waters and a variety of fish and whales were hit by the harmful algae. Villagers adopted simple strategies whenever they witnessed algal bloom in their wells. They dug parallel wells close by to get filtered water.

There was a need to evolve techniques to monitor blooms and prevent their harmful effects. However, one should not lose sight of the fact that most of the algae were helpful.

Director of Research of Bidar-based Karnataka Veterinary, Animal, and Fisheries Sciences University S. Honnappagol said the study of monitoring shellfish was important because shellfish was an important source of livelihood for the coast.

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