Source: Trend
Authorities in Iran continued to strongly reject rumors of dead dolphin meat being used by the tuna canning industry.
Iran Fisheries Organization head, Gholam Reza Razeghi told Mehr news agency that he strongly denied that dolphins are used in canned tuna, and added that the production process is supervised from the time the fish are caught to the time they're put into cans.
Mohsen Meshkat, who is in charge of hygiene and prevention for the Iranian Veterinary Organization (IVO), said the heating process needed for canning makes it almost impossible to use fish other than tuna. In canning, the flesh of the fish is heated at 121 degrees centigrade for one hour to kill any bacteria. So the fish used in canning has to withstand those conditions and still retain its flavor and delicacy. That is why only tuna, sardines, and salmon are used in canning.
Dolphin meat cannot be imported either, Meshkat said. Fish imported for making canned tuna has to be issued two certificates from the IVO. One certifies it was legally caught, the other certifies its health.
Meanwhile a member of Iran’s Majlis (parliament), Abbas Rajaei, asked anyone with documentation that shows dolphin meat is being sold as canned tuna to contact authorities. To-date it is unclear where the rumors originated.