Parasite linked to ‘mushy fish’ could be much more widespread than thought
Ordered kingfish sashimi recently? A parasite can infect some fish, yet they still look and taste the same when raw.
The mushy kingfish problem, where yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) flesh becomes unpalatable and mushy when cooked, may be more widespread than previously thought. This phenomenon can be disappointing for anglers and wasteful for the fish. The culprit is the parasite Unicapsula seriolae, which has been found in kingfish caught in New South Wales (NSW), not just in Queensland, Western Australia, and aquaculture settings in Western Australia as previously thought.
Research conducted on kingfish from NSW found that 38.9% of the fish were infected with the parasite. However, a higher proportion of infected fish (71.4%) did not develop mushy flesh when cooked, suggesting that relying on this symptom to identify infected fish would miss most infections. This parasite has previously been associated with mass-mortality events in aquaculture settings outside of NSW, but its exact role in the health and physiology of wild kingfish is still unclear.
Moreover, the impact of consuming raw infected kingfish on human health remains uncertain, as there is currently no evidence suggesting it causes food-borne illnesses in Australia. Further research is necessary to explore the significance and consequences of infection and to develop improved detection methods.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
