[Editorial] Cancer Causing Chemicals in Farm-Bred Fish

It turns out it isn't only Chinese fish that are a problem. The cancer causing substance "malachite green" has also been found in farm-bred trout and nudus (L. cyprinus carpio nudus; K. hyangeo), a variety of carp. You're mouth just hangs open with shock at something that is "underdeveloped" and should have been gone by now. And it isn't a problem in just one or two places. The substance was found at 35 trout farms - over half of the 65 inland farms surveyed - so there was a gaping hole in the government's system of controls.

When malachite green was found in farm-bred freshwater fish from China last July and August it caused quite a stir in Korea. It is harmful enough to have been banned globally starting in the early nineties, and the fact that it was found in domestic farm-bred freshwater fish has to be because it was used by fish farmers blinded by money. Law enforcement agencies must thoroughly investigate and strictly punish those responsible.

Malachite green was actually left out of the list of substances to be searched for at inspection time for reason that its use is not permitted, so it is highly possible that fish products contaminated with it were put into circulation in large quantities. Ever since the situation with Chinese eel there have been suggestions that the same problems might exist in Korea, and yet in the three inspections the authorities have done since then they have only taken samplings of a limited variety of fish. Had they not surveyed all species this time around they would've missed it. It will be hard for the authorities to avoid being criticized for their flabby approach.

When things like this happen consumers get nervous and honest fish farmers and raw fish restaurants suffer big losses as a result. The authorities were right to order a halt to all shipping from fish farms raising trout and nudus. They needs to move quickly to expand the investigation to include fish farms specializing in all species and be thorough about controls on what gets put on tables so as to relieve consumer unease at least a little. There needs to be a reexamination of the system of controls and enforcement on all prohibited chemical products that could possibly be used in the breeding process and during shipping.

The Hankyoreh, 7 October 2005.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]