COIMBATORE: Even though cultivation of the African Mushi (keluthi) is banned by the Department of Fisheries after a Ministry of Environment and Forests directive because of its carnivorous nature, fish farmers in and around Coimbatore continue to cultivate it.
The African Mushi is said to be highly predatory and is a threat to the ecosystem as it destroys other species, including other fish, small organisms, insects etc. in water.
The fish can survive in and wiggle through mud to other places. Even if the water body dries up, this particular species could easily move to other areas and destroy adjacent ecosystems too.
This fish can grow up to a metre in length and weigh up to 25 kilograms, but experts say, eating this fish is not harmful.
It was from Bangladesh that the seeds of this species of fish were imported to India via West Bengal (where the fish is known as ‘tangra’) decades ago.
However, when Express spoke to various fish farmers in Coimbatore, they said that they had been cultivating African Mushi for years and that they have even been getting good sales in Tamil Nadu and other States.
“We export tonnes of African Mushi to various agents in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The fish enjoys a good demand in bars as it is believed that this fish will form a layer in the intestines which will minimise damage to the intestinal lining from alcohol,” said Shanmughan, a farmer from Karumathampatty. He exports tonnes of the fish to various States every month.
On December 19, 1997, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries in the Union Ministry of Agriculture had formed a national panel under the chairmanship of the Joint Secretary (Fisheries Department) to oversee and regulate the introduction of exotic aquatic organisms into Indian waters.
The sole aim behind this exercise was to destroy the existing stocks of African Mushi.
Following the recommendations of this panel, the Ministry of Environment and Forests banned this fish and also directed state governments to ban its cultivation.
However, experts opined that cultivating these fish in protected areas would not harm the ecosystem but the feed the farmers provided could seriously pollute the environment.
“Farmers who cultivate African Mushi buy slaughter waste to feed the fish and one cannot even go near the tank because of the stench. Areas where African Mushi is grown can easily be identified by the stink, and the presence of stray dogs, and swarms of flies in and around the tank,” said Krishnadas M, an environmentalist.
When contacted in this regard, G Thirumaran, manager, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation, said, “The Department does not promote the cultivation of African Mushi and it was banned. We have not come across any such complaint so far and we will take action against farmers if they cultivate African Mushi.”