Nothing Fishy

As a fish eater, I am cornered! The collision between two ships in the Arabian Sea is beginning to impact marine life all along the Mumbai coast in a big way.  Over 500 tons of fuel spilled out into the sea.  Of the several containers on board, 200 are reported to be empty and 11 are still missing.

Within days of the disaster, nearly 500 kilograms of fish samples were found to be contaminated.  BMC has promptly and rightly warned people to avoid eating fish.

Toxicologists say that contamination of this sort affects the fish in two ways.  In one, they are killed immediately, whereas in the other, death graces them gradually.  It is the second type with its residual presence of Hydrocarbons that poses the biggest health hazard.

According to experts, the spill will have an amplified impact on the lobsters, crabs, shrimps etc., and the real outcome will be known only by end of the year.

 With a sigh let me say, “I’m in the mood for fish, but I don’t want anything that tastes fishy”!

-  July 2010