On the streets, more and more restaurants are using fish heads as their signature dishes for hotpot and stew.Fish heads are being chopped off by vendors at farmers' markets to fetch a better price.However, recently there has been news that fish heads contain concentrated toxins, making them unsuitable for frequent consumption.This information has left consumers feeling uneasy.Recently, reporters visited the Beijing Fisheries Science Research Institute where researcher Shen Tingdong shared his insights.Shen told reporters that southern Chinese have long had a habit of eating fish heads, particularly those from blue carp (also known as flower carp or fathead carp).Fish contain two types of unsaturated fatty acids: DHA and EPA, which are beneficial for cleaning and softening blood vessels, lowering cholesterol, strengthening the brain, and delaying aging.

These fatty acids are more abundant in fish oil than in meat, and since fish oil is mainly found in the heads, eating them can indeed be beneficial to health.Shen also explained that fish expel toxins through their gills and liver or kidneys. Gills serve not only as a breathing organ but also play an important role in detoxification.In normal circumstances, there are no toxins in fish heads, making it safe to consume them.However, due to recent environmental degradation causing water pollution and the use of chemical substances in feed, the amount of harmful substances in fish may increase and accumulate in the heads where more oil is stored.According to Shen, earlier this year, Beijing's government released regulations on agricultural production standards specifically for aquatic products.Since then, various "healthy farming" technologies have been widely applied in fisheries."Healthy farming" includes three aspects: preventing water pollution at its source, promoting eco-friendly feed and strict control over additives, and reducing the use of disease-fighting drugs.In addition, fishery regulatory authorities regularly inspect fishing grounds and feed bases to issue production and breeding licenses and supervise key production and sales processes such as water quality and feed from start to finish.During the interview, Shen advised consumers to purchase fresh fish and other aquatic products only from regulated markets.Regarding the current trend of eating fish heads, Shen believes that there is very little meat on the head. Fish meat contains rich protein (as high as 25%~30%), which is easily absorbed by the human body, so experts recommend people, especially those in northern and inland regions, to consume more fish meat products.In the interview, Shen also explained that due to modern cooking methods like stewing, boiling, or frying, most parasites are killed at high temperatures.

Shen Tingdong told the journalist that fish expel toxins through their gills and liver, kidneys, among other organs.Under normal circumstances, there is no toxin in the fish head, making it safe to eat.However, due to environmental degradation in recent years leading to water and ecological chain pollution, as well as some breeders adding chemicals to feed, harmful substances may increase within the fish's body and be difficult to expel, potentially accumulating more in the fish heads where oil is relatively concentrated.

According to Shen Tingdong, at the beginning of this year, Beijing's municipal government issued regulations for agricultural product production safety which specifically stipulate standards for aquatic products' production safety.Since then, a series of health-nourishing breeding techniques have been widely applied in fisheries."Health-nourishing breeding" mainly includes three aspects: first, fundamentally preventing water pollution; second, promoting environmentally-friendly feed and strictly controlling additives; third, focusing on "ecological disease prevention," significantly reducing the amount of disease-fighting medication used.Moreover, fishing administration supervisory departments must regularly inspect fish farms and feed bases annually to issue production and breeding permits. They also continuously monitor critical production and sales processes such as water quality, feed, and market release for full supervision and enforcement checks.During the interview, Shen Tingdong said that to ensure food safety, consumers should try to buy fresh fish and other aquatic products from regulated markets with proper oversight.

Regarding the current trend of eating fish heads, Shen Tingdong believes that while there is little meat on the head,proteincontent is not only abundant (reaching up to 25%～30%), but also contains a higher percentage of easily absorbable amino acids. Therefore, many experts advocate for people, especially those from northern and inland areas, to consume more fish meat products.

During the interview, it was learned that some consumers worry about getting parasitic diseases from eating fish heads. Shen Tingdong explained that as people usually cook fish heads using stewing, boiling, or frying methods, high-temperature treatment typically kills most parasites.