Is shark meat safe to eat?

Shark meat is being sold in Karachi and other big cities of the country openly and covertly by a number of fish sellers.

Reports say the boneless fish is also being sold as finger fish and its meat is being used in fish kabab and fish pulao at various restaurants.

ARY News’ Bakhabar Savera team invited Director Sindh Fisheries Department Dr Rehana Asghar Chaudhry to educate viewers about whether the fish is Halal, why is there a particular stink in shark meat, is it safe to eat and who should consume it or avoid it.

“Shark meat is not haraam, it is dangerous  They are without the usual urinary tract, so they concentrate urea in their blood and excrete it through their skin. When they die or are killed, the urea turns into ammonia which causes a strong stink. There is a certain way in which it should be cleaned before consumption,” said Dr Chaudhry.

The SFD director said that shark can only be consumed after washing it with acetic acid and lactic acid to remove urea.

She revealed that a number of fried fish points buy shark meat and sell it (without washing) as finger fish and make fish kababs out of it so the better option- if you wish to eat shark meat- is to buy the fish and then clean it using acetic acid and lactic acid to remove urea and then fry it at home.