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Posted: Thursday 3 December, 2020 at 8:17 AM

Fish-related to poisoning was not caught in SKN waters

By: Staff Reporter, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DIRECTOR of the Department of Marine Resources, Marc Williams has informed that investigations into the source of fish poisoning in St. Kitts and Nevis have found that the fish was not captured in the Federation’s waters.
     
    This comes as traces of the poisoning that were uncovered were linked to islands with volcanic activities in the region.
     
    Responding to a reporter’s question about the poisoning, the Director explained that despite his Department being unable to pinpoint the exact location where the fish was sourced, their investigations found traces of Lead and Cadmium in the fish.
     
    That, according to the Director, is found in areas where there are volcanic islands.  
     
    “What we have deduced is that the fish was caught outside of the territorial sea which can be the exclusive economic zone of St. Kitts and Nevis,” he announced.
     
    In a statement from the Department on the reopening of the Basseterre Fisheries Complex, the agency said a number of measures have been implemented to prevent any outbreak of viruses or contamination.

     

    “In addition, the management of the BFC conducted a forum with fish suppliers on the revised procedural and operational standards to provide awareness of the fishing sites that are of concern with regards to the fish poisoning. It was also found that some of the problems at the fisheries were as a result of managerial deficiencies. A new Acting Manager has been assigned and staff development sessions have been conducted.
     
    “Samples of fish were sent to the Bureau of Standards for testing. The Bureau advised that fish samples were submitted for testing at their partner accredited lab, EMSL Analytical in New Jersey. The test results from the Bureau of Standards indicate that there were no issues in relation to the fish handling or food preparation process. However, it indicates that there were elevated levels of arsenic in the fish samples,” the statement noted.

     

    Following the announcement of fish poisoning, the Fisheries Department has instituted a number of changes that will bring fishermen in line with the new standards.

     

    “As part of the revised protocols, all fishers supplying fish to the BFC must submit an application to the BFC. This application will be reviewed by the Department of Marine Resources to verify that the supplier is in compliance with the fisheries laws of the Federation. Upon successful review, the supplier will be issued a permit to supply fish to the BFC in accordance with conditions outlined in the application.

     

    “The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Marine Resources is working with the Bureau of Standards to increase its response to health and nutritional concerns of the sector. The Ministry’s proposed Food Quality and Nutrition Security project looks at procuring fish testing equipment to determine the areas that have a propensity for fish poisoning. The Ministry is also seeking to implement an additional project, which considers farming fish in controlled environments which would lower the risk of fish poisoning while improving livelihoods and food security,” the statement explained.

     

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