Officials of the Departments of Fisheries and Food Safety and Drugs Administration on Wednesday conducted checks at Puthur fish market in the city.
Led by R. Sharmila, Deputy Director, Fisheries, the team of officials inspected stalls to ascertain the quality and freshness of the fish sold at the market.
They zeroed in on a few vendors selling spoiled fish by mixing it with fresh ones.
The fish sold at the market comes from the sea near Nagapattinam, the Cauvery and other small water bodies near Tiruchi.
Ms. Sharmila instructed the vendors to sell quality fish to customers as rotten fish could cause several health complications including vomiting and diarrhoea. She also instructed them to keep the stalls clean to avoid contamination.
She asked the vendors to check the quality and freshness of the fish before buying them.
Fresh fish would not smell foul.
Its eyes would be shiny and the flesh red, especially under the gills, Ms. Sharmila told them.
The flesh of spoilt fish would be pink in colour and the eyes dull. “This is an easy way to spot the difference,” she added.