![]() ![]() However, distinguishing the hybrids correctly from the true Spottybacks or Shosai-fugu is difficult only using exterior clues, even using the methods suggested by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, and with their numbers growing, the risk of the hybrids being mistakenly processed as Spottybacks or Shosai-fugu may also increase.įour of the fish caught by Takahashi's team appeared to be pure Spottybacks or Shosai-fugu puffer fish, but turned out to be hybrids after gene analysis. Thus, the markings and other morphology of the fish are checked by hand at fish markets and the hybrids are marked as "unidentifiable species" and discarded. While both the Spottyback and Shosai-fugu pufferfish are species commonly caught for human consumption, the location of the poison contained in the hybrid fish is unclear. The Spottyback's migration is believed to be the reason behind the jump in the numbers of the hybrid puffer fish. ![]() They have crossed the Tsugaru Straits that separate the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido and into the Pacific Ocean, the home of the Shosai-fugu. However, due to the rising of temperatures in the Sea of Japan due to climate change, the area they inhabit has expanded northward. The amount of hybrid puffer fish in the wild is reportedly usually less than 1 percent.īoth fish are relatives of the Tiger or Japanese Puffer, and the Spottyback Puffer's usual habitat is the Sea of Japan. The results found that over half of the puffer fish caught, 149, were Spottyback-Shosai-fugu hybrids. ![]() Takahashi and his team analyzed the genes of 252 fish caught in the Pacific Ocean off of eastern Japan for a period of three years beginning in 2012. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |