Critics say it’s not safe
Fugu, the poisonous puffer fish, is a Japanese delicacy; by law, it can only be prepared by highly trained and certified chefs. Just a small bite of incorrectly cleaned fugu flesh can prove deadly, as the creature’s stomach, liver, ovaries, and other organs contain a quick-acting neurotoxin that causes, numbness, irreversible paralysis, and eventually death by asphyxiation. Due to its danger, consumption of the fish’s liver is banned entirely.
However, scientists and and a seafood company called Manbou Corp in western Japan’s Saga prefecture claim they’ve found a way to farm toxin-free fugu. According to the Guardian, the new development has led some officials to consider lifting the ban on consuming fugu liver.
The idea of toxin-free fugu has some chefs concerned. “If the prefecture’s proposal is approved, many consumers will mistakenly believe that puffer fish liver is safe to eat, resulting in more accidents,” Yuichi Makita, vice-chairman of an association representing 1,800 restaurant owners who serve fugu tells the Asahi Shimbun. “There is no absolute guarantee of safety.”
The new farming method comes down to altering the fish’s diet. Fugu toxin is produced by bacilli bacteria in seawater; in the wild, puffers feed on poisonous snails and starfish and over time the toxin becomes concentrated in the fishes’ bodies. The new farmed fugu, on the other hand, are raised inland in a sterile seawater environment on non-toxic food. In a survey of 10,000 of these farmed fugu, a research team from Nagasaki University found none were poisonous. Manbou further plans to inspect the most toxic portions of the liver on all fugu before sending them to market.
The change in the law, which may be approved within the next year, could mean a boost in tourism and the fishing industry in the prefecture, but critics say the risk is too great. Bans and taboos against fugu have been recorded since the 16th century in Japan. Last year, five men in Japan were hospitalized after consuming fugu liver in a hot pot, and earlier this year, a private restaurant in Osaka was banned indefinitely from serving fugu after police busted the establishment for ilegally serving the blowfish’s organs.
• Last Supper? Japan's Diners Divided Over Killer Puffer Fish [The Guardian]
• Saga Wants to Sell Livers of Toxic Fish to Diners; Concerns Arise [The Asahi Shimbun]
• Restaurant in Japan Busted for Serving Deadly Blowfish Liver [E]
• All Fugu Coverage [E]
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