ICAR-CMFRI advises consumers not to avoid tuna over parasite reports from another region

24 September 2026

The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI), Kochi, advised on 24 September 2026 that consumers need not avoid tuna or other commercially available fish solely because of reports of parasitic infections in fish from a specific region. The advisory followed reports of parasites in skipjack tuna based on a study of fish from the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil. CMFRI Director Dr Grinson George said fish examined by the Institute, including skipjack tuna, have not shown external manifestations of harmful parasitic infestation. Parasite presence varies between regions depending on ecological conditions and intermediate hosts such as copepods, and is even used to tell fish stocks apart. The Institute advised prompt and proper evisceration and thorough cooking, which kills parasites.