A loss of appetite for fish fingers in Malaysia

Malaysia's government, fishmongers and seafood restaurants have teamed up to offer free fish dishes after a rumour swept the country that a housewife found a finger in a fish, causing a national loss of appetite for seafood.

Officials, fishery experts and traders have lined up experts to rebut the rumours that fish have been feeding on the bodies of tsunami victims.

'Our research conclusively proves that fish eat other fish, squid and plankton and not human meat,' said Junaidi Che Ayub, head of the National Fisheries Development Board. 'Fish is absolutely safe to consume.'

Fishermen, many of whose boats were damaged by the tsunami, blame the rumours and squeamishness for fish for a 50 per cent drop in their income since the disaster.

'Malaysian fish is safe because it is caught locally within a 10km radius and not in the affected Indian Ocean or Andaman Sea, which are far away,' said marine biologist Aileen Tan. 'People don't understand the geography.'

Politicians are also making a public show of eating fish and there are signs that the campaign is working with some hard-hit restaurants tempting back customers.