Fish vendors in south China's Guangdong Province are struggling to sell
fresh-water fish to HongKong where authorities are concerned about
malachite green, a synthetic dye used to treat fungal infections on
fish eggs and which is considered dangerous for human health.
Statistics from Guangzhou Customs show that Guangdong, separated
from Hong Kong by the Shenzhen River, shipped 1,752.6 tons of live
fresh-water fish last month, down 13.9 percent on December 2005 and
down a drastic 46.7 percent on last November.
Hong Kong has traditionally been a prime consumer of live fish
raised in Guangdong. Guangdong exported US$ 62.28 million worth of
fish to Hong Kong last year, three quarters of Guangdong's total
fish exports.
However, since August of last year, Hong Kong media have carried
reports about positive tests for malachite green in live
fresh-water fish sourced from the mainland.
Hong Kong's Health, Welfare and Food Bureau subsequently
established a list of registered freshwater fish farms authorized
to supply fresh-water fish to Hong Kong.
But ongoing public concerns have affected supplies.
While low levels of malachite green are not considered to pose
an immediate risk to human health, many countries ban the substance
from fish farming.
Food safety is a high-profile issue in Hong Kong.
Guangdong's exports of live fresh-water fish to Hong Kong
totaled 38,000 tons last year, down one percent on 2005.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)