MAPUSA
A day after an NIO study raised concerns over cadmium contamination in oysters along Goa's coastline and warned that regular consumption of contaminated shellfish could pose public health risk, the Fisheries Department has said it has not received any official report from the institute and, therefore, there is no question of initiating any action at this stage.
Deputy Director of Fisheries Chandrakant Velip said the department would first need to examine the scientific findings, including the methodology and locations from where samples were collected, before deciding on any course of action. "Officially, we have not received any such report from NIO. Even if there is such a study, we need to know what samples were taken and from where they were collected," Velip said.
Velip was responding to a news report published in The Goan highlighting an NIO study that found elevated cadmium levels in oysters collected from parts of Goa's coast and cautioned that long-term consumption of contaminated shellfish could have adverse health implications. Drawing parallels with an earlier study on heavy metal contamination in edible fish caught off Caranzalem beach that had triggered controversy earlier this year, Velip said scientific studies are sometimes carried out as part of academic research and enter the public domain before government departments have an opportunity to examine them.
"At times, students do a report as part of an academic study which gets published and comes into the public domain. We don't know what samples are taken. They do such studies as an academic exercise and then it comes in public, which should not happen," he said. While maintaining a guarded stance, Velip clarified that he was not dismissing the seriousness of such findings. "I am not saying that those reports are not serious, but we have not seen the particular report. We have to analyse the samples taken and other factors," he added. The Deputy Director also acknowledged that the Fisheries Department does not have an in-house research wing to independently verify such findings. He said that whenever scientific verification is required, the department relies on institutions such as the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), ICAR, or Goa University to undertake the necessary analysis.
Significantly, Velip admitted that the department does not carry out any routine monitoring of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury in shellfish harvested along Goa's coastline. "We don't do any monitoring. We hand it over to NIO or Goa University. And if there is any adverse report, we refer it to the Goa State Pollution Control Board," he said.
Report must be sent to govt: Halarnkar
MAPUSA: Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar on Tuesday said the State government would examine and act on the National Institute of Oceanography's (NIO) findings on cadmium contamination in oysters only after receiving an official report. Pointing out that NIO is a Central government institution, Halarnkar said, "If the study is that significant, they should send the report to the government. The government will take it seriously, cross-check the findings and take action in the interest of the people." He added that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the State government would take action if the findings establish any cognisable issue.
However, the minister said no official report has been submitted so far. "At present, this is information in the air, published through some media outlets. We have no concern until an official report is submitted," he said, recalling a similar controversy over a Goa University study on heavy metals in fish off Caranzalem beach.
