![]() As the species of the hybrids cannot be clearly identified, and thus which parts are poisonous cannot be clearly established, they are discarded. The study analyzed the DNA of pear puffers off NE Japan from 2012 to 2015 and found that over half of the samples were hybrids. It is now hybridizing with the pear puffer. The spottyback puffer from the Sea of Japan crossed through the Straights of Tsugaru separating Honshu and Hokkaido Islands and moved into the Northeast Pacific, possibly facilitated by warmer ocean temperatures that allowed it to extend its range northward. The Food Safety Commission, a central government advisory panel, finally recommended against it.Īnd third, a recent study showed that hybrids of two species normally living on opposite sides of Honshu Island have begun to hybridize. But many restaurants were wary that diners might mistakenly believe that all blowfish liver is safe, or that there would be accidental admixture of safe and unsafe livers. When reared in net pens well off the ocean floor and fed a diet of mackerel, the toxins are absent. Scientists at Nagasaki University had found that the toxins in blowfish originate not from the fish themselves, but from certain bacteria that the fish consume with their preferred foods of shellfish, starfish, and crustaceans. Second, in 2016, the Saga prefectural government and Manbou Corp., which operates land-based fish farms in the prefecture, requested the national government to approve sales of non-poisonous fugu liver, even planning to test the most poisonous parts of the liver to confirm safety. In recent years, three events relating to fugu are significant.įirst, in 2012, faced with heavy competition from home delivery of internet orders from other prefectures, Tokyo dropped a requirement for licensing chefs at restaurants that serve the fish with the poisonous organs already removed, leading to increased consumption. ![]() The aquaculture trend in fugu is toward land-based systems, which eliminate the risk of parasitic diseases that cause high death losses in ocean-farmed systems. Most aquaculture effort is focused on the tiger puffer, and it is the fifth-most valuable farmed fish species in Japan. Aquaculture volume in 2010 had reached 4,965 MT. National data from 2008 showed a domestic wild catch of 4,954 MT, domestic aquaculture production of 4,410 MT, (total domestic of 9, 364 MT) and imports of 6,543 metric tons. For 2016, Japan customs data showed imports from China of 4,633 MT valued at JPY 1.5 billion (USD 13.2 million, EUR 11.2 million) and from Taiwan of 17 MT valued at JPY 12 million, (USD 106,000, EUR 90,000). The city of Shimonoseki, home of the only public auction devoted to fugu, reported that 2014 import volume of fugu to the port, all from China, was 4,503 metric tons, valued at JPY 859 million (USD 7.5 million, EUR 6.4 million). Over 20,000 MT of pufferfish are produced in China, including about 4,000 MT of tiger puffer and 6,000 MT of obscure puffer, mostly for export to Japan and South Korea, according to an International Union for Conservation of Nature species report. So, it is best to pack each species separately. If mixed species are packed together, they must be inspected in Japan to confirm the species. Also among the most popular species are vermiculated puffer, purple puffer and striped puffer.įugu imported to Japan should be whole or gutted and individually frozen to allow easy identification, or if block-frozen, the top and bottom of each fish should be visible. These species are preferred in Japan because they are traditional, being found in nearby waters. Two species make up the bulk of sales: “tora-fugu” or tiger pufferfish, and “karasu-fugu” or eyespot puffer. There are regional preferences in blowfish consumption “Tessa,” a seafood platter of thinly sliced blowfish, often laid out in a pattern like a crane or a chrysanthemum, is more popular in Tokyo, while hotpot is more common in Western Japan. As a result, its importation and preparation have been regulated. In Japan, it is famous not only for its delicate taste, but also for its deadly poison, contained in the liver and ovaries. “Fugu,” in Japanese, goes by various names in English, including blowfish, pufferfish, globefish and swellfish. While crab hotpot is a popular New Year holiday favorite in Japan, “techiri-nabe,” or blowfish hotpot, runs a close second. Winter temperatures are luring hungry diners to warm broths and more substantial - and potentially risky - seafood fare. ![]()
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