Though pearl spot (karimeen) is synonymous with the State backwaters, a good portion of this delicacy sold in Kollam these days are from farms in Andhra Pradesh. In addition to its poor taste, these fish are also feared to be a health hazard.
Getting wind of it, a team from the food safety office here, led by Assistant Commissioner K. Ajit Kumar, inspected a pearl spot consignment that arrived at the Kollam railway station by a Thiruvananthapuram-bound superfast express from Chennai.
Mr. Ajit Kumar said the consignment, weighing about 1,000 kg, was packed with ice in 29 containers, each weighing 35 kg. The consignment was meant for two persons based at the Neendakara and Vaddy fishing harbours and it was to be auctioned as local catch. He said samples of the fish and ice were taken to the Government Analytical Laboratory, Thiruvananthapuram, for tests. The rest was released to the importer. Mr. Ajit Kumar said action could be taken only on the basis of test results.
Food Safety Officer, Kollam, E.Sherief said with the annual monsoon ban on trawling in force, the price of fish had skyrocketed and the import was to cash in on the situation. The pearl spot consignment was from farms at Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
