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Banned Catfish: The Cancer Risk Lurking in Your Plate? India's Dangerous Fish Revealed!
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News18•04-10-2026, 18:11
Banned Catfish: The Cancer Risk Lurking in Your Plate? India's Dangerous Fish Revealed!
- •Doctors warn that consuming banned catfish (Clarias gariepinus), also known as African catfish, can lead to deadly diseases like cancer.
- •The Indian government has prohibited the cultivation, sale, and consumption of this fish due to its severe risks to human health and the environment.
- •Catfish feeds on contaminated and rotten meat, increasing the risk of cancer and other serious illnesses in those who consume it.
- •India's National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned catfish farming in 2000 due to its aggressive carnivorous nature, which threatens native fish species.
- •Despite the ban, catfish remains attractive to farmers and traders due to its rapid growth, low cultivation cost, and high profitability.
Key Questions Answered
The Indian government and the National Green Tribunal completely banned catfish farming, trade, and consumption because the imported species feeds on contaminated and rotten meat, posing severe health risks like cancer and disrupting the aquatic ecosystem by threatening local fish populations.
Consuming catfish significantly increases the risk of developing deadly diseases like cancer because the fish contains carcinogenic substances absorbed from the polluted and rotten food it consumes.
India's National Green Tribunal completely banned catfish farming in 2000 due to its extreme carnivorous nature and the severe danger it posed to local fish species and water bodies.
