Expert warns against eating fish and mussels from Jakarta Bay

BOGOR: Eating fish and mussels from Jakarta Bay is dangerous because of toxic and hazardous compounds that damage fish organs and paralyse mussels, an expert has said.

A professor at Bogor Agricultural University’s faculty of maritime affairs and fisheries, Etty Riani, said yesterday that the quality of fish depended on the quality of the environment.

“People who consume fish from Jakarta Bay are susceptible to cancer and degenerative diseases like kidney failure,” she said.

“In a polluted environment, fish are prone to contamination from hazardous compounds such as metal compounds that can damage fish tissues, carcinogens and mutagens.”

Etty explained that metal compounds entered the body of a fish through its skin pores, gills or when it was eating.

The compounds then accumulate in the organs of the fish.

The Citarum River and Jakarta Bay were among the most polluted river or coastal areas, she added.

Hazardous compounds have been found in fishes such as barracuda, pepetek, sokang and beloso, and mussels from Jakarta Bay.

Mussels that are contaminated by hazardous compounds become bubbly in shape instead of flat, which indicates unsafe meat.

In comparison, Etty said that although fish in the Thousand Islands were also contaminated by metal compounds, the amount was much lower, making fish there relatively safe for consumption.