Updated at 4:12 p.m., Thursday, May 24, 2007
Don't eat monkfish, state warns
Advertiser Staff
The state is warning residents not to eat monkfish for the time being because shipments from China that were labeled as containing the seafood actually may be puffer fish, which can cause serious illness or death when consumed.State Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo said about 64 cases of the fish distributed by Hong Chang Corp. were imported into Hawai'i, and most have been located. She said a distributor is attempting to track down the remaining cartons. There have been no reports of fish poisoning related to the shipments, Okubo said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warnings yesterday on the shipments, saying they were imported to Hawai'i, Illinois, and California. Puffer fish carry a potentially deadly toxin, tetrodotoxin, that is not destroyed by cooking or storage. It said anyone possessing some of the fish in question should throw it away.
