- FIAPO alleged the presence of lead, cadmium in aquatic animals due to heavy usage of fertilisers and insecticides
- AGCS and FIAPO had conducted investigation in 250 fish and shrimp farms across 10 states
- Found poor dissolved oxygen levels in half of the fish farms
TAD NewsDesk, New Delhi: Recently, India’s apex animal rights organisations – the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) and All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS) found the presence of lead and cadmium in aquatic animals. Dedicated to work in the interest of animal rights, FIAPO and ACGS undertook an investigation in about 250 aqua farms across the country. The focus of their investigation were the coastal states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Gujarat, West Bengal and Orissa.
In Andhra Pradesh specifically, the fish and shrimp farms of West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Visakhapatnam districts were inspected.
To the disappointment of both the animal rights organisations, more than half of the fish farms had shockingly low levels of dissolved oxygen levels “which means that the fish were struggling to survive with high mortality rates”.
The Executive Director of FIAPO, Varda Mehrotra said in dismay, “We have found shocking conditions in this growing sector. Fish are kept in cramped, filthy enclosures, with no waste management’’.
“The contaminated water from these fish farms is released into local water bodies and estuaries that spread the parasites further, causing harm to the fish population as well as humans”, Mehrotra informed, demonstrating a rather unpleasant state of the fish farms of India.
Further, reflecting on the dreadful consequences of using too much fertilisers and insecticides, FIAPO and ACGS said in a joint statement,
“With careless use of antibiotics and insecticides, there is a looming threat of antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture”.
According to their statement, all the 20 freshwater fish farms and 21 shrimp farms in Andhra Pradesh were found to have high lead and cadmium levels. Due to the unrestricted use of such harmful chemicals that flow down to the water bodies, dangerously high levels of lead and cadmium can be found in the fishes of Indian aqua farms.
Source – The Hindu Business Line
