Berbice Campus conducting probe into worms found in mullet

Doctors attached to the Tain Campus of the University of Guyana have launched an inquiry into the recent discovery of worms in the flesh of saltwater mullet which has put the fish on a blacklist on local market. About eight weeks ago, red flags were raised over the safety of the fish for consumption.
The Berbice campus director, Professor Daizal Samad in a brief statement confirmed that the investigation is a collaborative effort with the Agriculture Ministry and the Region Six Democratic Council. Stating that the inquiry is in its early stages, Samad said that the evidence gathered so far reveals that only the grey mullet has been afflicted by the worms.
Additionally, the work on ascertaining the cause of death of several species of fish whose carcasses were found scattered at the No 63 Beach and other areas along the Corentyne shoreline is ongoing.  Unscaled species of fish were the ones most affected.  Persons involved in the probe, which began just under two months ago, are gathering data and samples from along the Corentyne shoreline.
A visit to the New Amsterdam Market revealed that since the news of worm infested fish broke, vendors have stopped buying mullet from fishermen. One female fishmonger related that several weeks ago while cleaning mullet, she encountered fish with wormy flesh. According to the woman, the worms were threadlike and red in appearance and were found behind the backbone of the fish.
Acording  to No 66 Fishermen Co-op Society Chairman Pravinchandra Deodat fishers made the discovery about two months ago, and that triggered a massive decline in the sale of mullet locally.  According to Deodat, there are several species of this fish which thrive on the shallow mudflats along the Lower and Central Corentyne coastline. He opined that the worms could have infected the fish as a result of the change in the salt content of the Corentyne River. Deodat related that he observed similar phenomena occurring in inland freshwater fish during dry spells when the water becomes salty.
The declining sales of mullet have not impacted heavily on the operations of the No 66 Co-op, because most of its fishers are deep sea operators. However, small boat operators who specialise in mullet have been affected. He said that five to 10 per cent of the mullet trapped along the Corentyne Coast comes from the No 66 Co-op, and area such as Cromarty, Rose Hall, and Bush Lot are noted for this species of fish owing to the massive shallow mud flats.