The district fisheries department in Jamtara, Jharkhand, has made a significant discovery—the presence of a pufferfish species in a local waterbody. This particular variety of carnivorous fish, spotted for the first time in the region, possesses toxins similar to their Japanese counterparts, which can prove fatal to humans.
Ritu Ranjan, the officer from the Jamtara district fisheries department, has taken proactive measures to learn more about this newly detected species. In the absence of any existing records about the fish in the state, she has reached out to the ICAR-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) in Lucknow for further insights.
The pufferfish was found in the vicinity of Paijania village, within a portion of the Maithon Dam that stretches across Jamtara, Dhanbad, and West Bengal. Ranjan expressed, “To the best of my knowledge, there is no prior documentation of pufferfish presence in Jharkhand. Nevertheless, following our discovery, local villagers and fishermen have reported occasional sightings of this variant over the past two years. We have urged them to remain vigilant and notify us whenever they come across this species during their fishing activities, enabling us to conduct a thorough investigation.”
Ranjan also emphasized the inherent danger associated with all pufferfish variants, which are highly venomous and potentially lethal. While studies indicate that pufferfish is consumed in Japan, the preparation requires the expertise of skilled chefs who can meticulously remove the venomous portions to render it safe for consumption.
