Govt Urged to Monitor Distribution of Fish Polluted by Heavy Metals

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Boiled green mussels are ready to be peeled by fishermen in Muara Angke, Pluit, Penjaringan, North Jakarta, on Saturday (23/02/2019). At present the price of peeled green mussels from Jakarta Bay at the fisherman level is Rp 25,000 per kilogram.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Heavy metal pollution in Jakarta Bay has made local marine animals unsafe to eat. Apart from resolving the pollution at its source, the government is urged to protect consumers by monitoring the distribution of marine products from the area as heavy metals could cause cancer if consumed.

Bogor Agricultural University’s (IPB) Etty Riani cited the findings of her years-long research in her inaugural lecture on Saturday (23/2/2019) as an ecobiology professor at IPB’s school of fishery and maritime science.

Etty said that adults and children should only consume 0.002-0.043 kilograms per week of marine products from Jakarta Bay, including fish and mussels, due to their high mercury (Hg) content. It was inadvisable to consume the bay’s green mussels, as it had the highest mercury content.

“Consuming fish and mussels from Jakarta Bay beyond this limit may lead to cancer and other degenerative non-cancerous diseases,” she said.

Jakarta Bay has a high level of heavy metal pollution because 13 rivers polluted by toxic material flows into the bay. A research by University of Indonesia geography professor Tarsoen Waryono found that the level of heavy metal pollution in Jakarta’s rivers rose in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2013.

Accumulated

Etty said that heavy metals, including mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), chromium (Cr) and Tin (Sn), were accumulating in sediments and marine biota, especially green mussels. The lead concentration in sediments, for instance, rose from 63.73 mg/kg in 2014 to 78.78 mg/kg in 2015.

Heavy metals can enter fish through their skin, gills or mouths. The accumulation of heavy metals in their organs was an irreversible process, causing damage to the gills, kidneys, liver, lymph, brain and heart, as had been found in tilapia, carp and other marine biota in the Citarum River. Higher heavy metal concentration and organ damage were found in barracuda, ponyfish, starry triggerfish, tank goby and green mussels in Jakarta Bay. Barracudas in the region suffer from tissue damage.

Despite the high threat of heavy metal poisoning, Indonesia has no mechanism to monitor the heavy metal concentration in fish in domestic distribution. The country’s fish exports have often been rejected due to heavy metal content.

The 2017 data at the Maritime Affairs and Fishery Ministry’s fish quarantine and fisheries product quality control agency found that six out of 14 fish exports from Indonesia were rejected due to heavy metal. “Domestic consumers must also be protected,” said Etty.

Thus far, the government, such as the Jakarta administration, had only suggested and educated the public not to consume green mussels. “If their products do not sell, green mussels cultivators will need to think hard about changing jobs,” said fisheries head Eny Suparyani of the Jakarta food security, maritime affairs and fisheries agency.

Jakarta deputy governor for spatial and environmental affairs Oswar M. Mungkasa said that the administration had only urged its residents not to consume green mussels. “Bans fall under the governor’s authority,” he said. (AIK/HLN/JOG)