Fish & Fisheries Digest Part-4: POISONOUS & VENOMOUS FISHES AND SHELLFISHES

To maintain continuity with the contents of PART - 2 and 3, PART - 4 unveils another facet of 'skin' by discussing a vast array of fishes/shellfishes, becoming infamous by being 'POISONOUS' or 'VENOMOUS'. Under certain conditions, a good number of food fishes/shellfishes become 'POISONOUS' and prove hazardous on eating, thus causing serious health problems world over. Noxious chemicals synthesized by specialized cells of the skin of some cartilaginous and bony fishes and the 'VENOM' produced by glands associated with spines on the fins or opercula not only provide protection to the fish from the predators but also empower them to subdue the enemy/predator.

It will also be worth venturing into the diverse MOLLUSCS/CRUSTACEANS, aptly discussed for their VENOMOSITY impacted via 'skin' or other internal organs.

Sometimes, the SEAFOOD (fish/shellfish) is mistaken as harmful by the body's immune system and this is reflected in the form of 'allergic reactions'. The CHAPTER-5 of this episode is, thus, devoted to 'Seafood Allergy', after giving proper treatment to 'POISONOUS AND VENOMOUS FISHES AND SHELLFISHES' in CHAPTERS 1 to 4.