ABSTRACT

Pufferfish species have been shown to become non-toxic when their diets are TTX-free and when they are grown in an environment where the organisms which bear TTX are not present in the food web (Arakawa et al., 2010). Of the several thousands of tons of Fugu that are consumed each year in Japan, considerable quantities come from farms, where the fish are not allowed to incorporate the TTX toxin through their diets. The farmed pufferfishes are fed fresh fish until they reach market size. Aquaculture of several species of Fugu is practiced in Japan as full-scale farming by artificial insemination.