Fish in a former dock in Hull could die as a result of being fed chips and pasties by customers at a nearby shopping centre, experts have warned.
The koi carp were introduced to the basin in front of Princes Quay Shopping Centre when it opened in 1991.
Since then, their numbers have increased, with 1,200 fish added in 2010 alone, and over the years they have become an attraction for people using Monument Bridge, in front of the centre.
However, Iain Turner, from the Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM), has said feeding scraps of “non-natural” food to the fish “will shorten their lives”.
Mr Turner, the IFM’s development officer, said people should “enjoy the fish but resist the temptation to throw in food scraps”.
He added: "Carp will eat, eat, eat. They will eat things like sausage rolls, pasties and chips.
“The fish may look healthy because they’re so big, but if they’re fed non-natural food like this their vital organs, especially their livers, will become encased in fat. It really isn’t good for them.”
Whenever I visit I like to throw in a cod and chips, a haddock and chips, a pukka pie and a savaloy. Plus mushy peas and a gravy. And a curry sauce. Don’t bother with the pickled eggs though, they won’t touch them.
Double fish and chips seems a bit excessive - a sausage dinner or sausage, chips and curry sauce seems more like a balanced diet as it gets all your major food groups in.
That’s the order the carp put in first time I offered to go to the chippy for them. Who am I to argue?
Sounds like they’re just trying to fit in with the locals.
where i’m from, pasties are nipple covers, instead of pastries. makes an amusing visual.
Is that standard HSE advised work wear, or just pleasure?
Ah but they’re pronounced differently - past-ees vs paste-ees. That’s how you tell the difference when reading a news article, which will help you avoid feeding Hull fish the wrong item.
