Puffer Fish, Picture: Chris73, Creative Commons Licence. image:32965:0::0

Crooked fish vendors in Thailand market have been selling the meat of the cheaper but deadly puffer fish disguised as salmon fish by painting with a color dye. Thailand Government had banned the fish in 2002 because of the toxic nature of the fish, but the puffer fish is still sold in the market in large quantities and in restaurants.

Narin Hiransuthikul from Chulonkorn University Hospital said some of the fish sellers dye the puffer fish and make them look like salmon fish and sell it. He said this has caused more than 15 deaths and left 115 hospitalized.

The ovaries, liver and intestines of the puffer fish contain the deadly tetrodotoxin, and it can produce a quick and violent death according to the FDA.

The same fish is popular in Japan also and considered a delicacy; it is called by the name fugu, where some Japanese taste it for the thrills. It is however prepared by specially trained fugu Chefs, who deliberately leave some tetrodotoxin (caused by the bacteria inside the fish) on the fish to create some tingling taste.

Experts say eating the puffer fish can cause paralysis, asphyxiation, vomiting, heart failure and death.

All is not bad news with puffer fish however, it is used in the drug industry and the poison tetrodotoxin is isolated from the puffer fish and is used as morphine. It is 3,000 times more powerful than the actual morphine. It can ease pain for between eight and twenty one days and is non addictive and has no known side effects.

When you go the local fish market, just make sure they sell or serve salmon fish. When they are cut in half it is very hard to differentiate between the two, hope we are able to identify the unique features in a Salmon. Even the salmon, farm grown are dyed to make it look like they come from Alaska and other regions, so one has to be watchful about the fake stuff.