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There is such a fish on the table of southerners, and a few years ago, it was highly sought after by people as a delicacy, but the good times did not last long, and now no one cares about it, and it is even named "garbage fish".
This fish is the notorious red pomfret, so why has the status of the red pomfret plummeted, and the status has been reversed in two levels?
First of all, we must be clear that red pomfret is not a native fish of the mainland, but an invasive species, or an intentionally introduced fish, red pomfret is native to South America, is a freshwater tropical fish, as long as the climatic conditions in the south can be raised.
Its appearance is also very iconic, with its black dorsal fin, orange-red belly, and sharp teeth, which at first glance look like a piranha, which is a bit intimidating.
Although it is not a piranha, it is a close relative of the southern gourmet mermaid, but it is not as ferocious and bloody as the piranha, and the reason why it was introduced in the mainland is because the red pomfret is relatively large in size and grows faster than other fish.
Of course, there is a reason for such a growth rate, red pomfret is an omnivorous fish, mainly feeding on plankton, algae, and other small fish and shrimp, and even carrion.
In addition, the red pomfret is also known for its strong ability to survive and adapt, its adaptability to the environment is comparable to that of a scavenger, as long as it is not a cold area and the temperature is suitable, it can survive and reproduce in extremely harsh water conditions.
For professional fish farmers, this red pomfret is a low-cost, high-yield fish, so it quickly occupied the market in the first few years of its introduction and became a very common delicacy on the table in some southern cities.
However, the popularity of red pomfret did not last long, and over time, red pomfret not only did not stay on people's tables, but also made thousands of people dislike it and treated it as an invasive species.
Even anglers are extremely disgusted with red pomfret, and the government is also trying to treat red pomfret as much as possible without pollution, so what about the status of red pomfret in people's minds? Objectively speaking, there are three main reasons:
First of all, the first aspect is that red pomfret is an invasive alien species, and when it was first introduced, it was also cultivated as a breeding and edible fish, but later some people bought it and released it, resulting in the flooding of red pomfret in many waters in the south.
It is important to know that the red pomfret has no natural predators in the mainland, and it is a fish with a certain degree of aggression and a fast reproduction rate, so the invasion of the red pomfret has seriously threatened the breeding and habitat of the native fish in the mainland.
This ecological crisis has become more and more serious in recent years, and when people realize that this fish threatens the survival of many native fish, they naturally become resentful, and gradually dislike this "ugly fish" with sharp teeth.
The second reason is that the taste of red pomfret is not as good as advertised by the merchants, and the actual taste is a big disappointment, which is also an important reason why people decisively give up eating red pomfret.
After all, the eyes of the masses are bright, and the evaluation of food is also keen, if the red pomfret is really delicious, it must not be abandoned by the market, it stands to reason that it will be in short supply, and now no one cares about it, and it is naturally not delicious.
According to some surveys and the real reactions of eaters, the flesh of red pomfret is hard, fishy and woody, and there are no other common native fish at all, even grass carp.
In contrast, catfish and tilapia have become the preferred fish for cheap and good taste, and those who like to eat red pomfret at the beginning are just out of curiosity and want to try it.
The third reason is also the fundamental reason why people give up eating red pomfret, that is, there are big problems in the breeding environment and health safety of red pomfret.
In the past, there have been many cases of non-compliance with the breeding of red pomfret, such as some farmers breeding in an environment with poor water quality, and even rumors near the manure pit.
Anyway, the red pomfret has a strong adaptability, there are no strict requirements for the conditions of the water environment, and they are omnivores, even if they are miscellaneous things, they can eat them well, and even some garbage residues can be digested.
Farmers use the characteristics of red pomfret to breed, which can greatly reduce the cost of farming, but this practice is absolutely illegal and non-compliant.
Eating junk food often causes red pomfret to contain a variety of germs in its body, and people are likely to get food poisoning or be infected with infectious diseases after eating it.
In addition, the poor living conditions also lead to the fact that the red pomfret itself carries bacteria, and some bacteria are extremely resistant to high temperatures, even after cooking, they may not kill them, which will also pose a threat to our personal health.
For the sake of hygiene and personal food safety, many people gradually began to dislike red pomfret, and because red pomfret eats garbage, people also called it "garbage fish", and this notoriety spread quickly for a while.
In general, there are many reasons why red pomfret has changed from popular to spurned by everyone, and although there is still a certain market for red pomfret, the impact of invasive alien species is more obvious.
This incident also warns us that we must strictly review and restrict alien species to avoid causing imbalance in the domestic ecological environment and even bringing about species extinction.
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