A Goan swears by his fish, curry and rice! But the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have urged Goans to leave fish off their plates for good. PETA asserts fish that the people of the State consume may be containing deadly chemical toxins. An investigation carried out by PETA on the fishing industry in India over a period of one year claims the fish that people consume were found to be containing heavy metals and deadly toxins. This comes just a day after a study of the National Institute of Oceanography was made public. The study maintained the Chicalim bay was found to be contaminated with heavy metals like lead, copper and zinc. The study conducted in all the coastal states of India found very high levels of iron content in the meat of windowpane oysters that are found in abundance in the bay. Marine zoologist Dr Manoj Borkar, who is closely associated with the Chicalim Villagers Action Committee, stated if such is the plight of the windowpane oysters then the same contamination could be found in fish. The PETA investigative report, however, has no basis to assert that the fish netted in Goan waters is polluted for sure. Its main grouse is against the violation of the 40-45 days ban period in Goa by those in the fish trade. At a press conference held in the city to address the issue, Senior Campaigns Coordinator Nikunj Sharma said PETA was looking at regulating fish catch. At least during the ban period the fish have to be allowed to spawn well. Sharma said it was surprising to find Goa with such a short coastline netted one lakh tonne of fish every year. So we found it was important to spread the message of leaving the fish alone for its betterment, he added. PETA gathered information for the report from firsthand investigations, scientific studies and research from both government sources and non-governmental organisations. The comprehensive report, which took more than a year to complete, offers facts about fish markets, potentially deadly chemical toxins that are commonly found in fish, the nature and intelligence of fish and how they suffer. It also addresses