An overseas fish expert today called the recent fish die-off concerning.

But he urged people to use common sense when it came to eating fish, saying the majority of those caught are safe.

Wolfgang Vogelbein is a highly regarded fish pathologist and professor of marine science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the College of William and Mary.

Adding that he had rockfish today for lunch Dr. Vogelbein said: “It’s always the big question, ‘are the fish safe to eat?’ I think common sense should be used, people who fish know what a healthy fish looks like. Those are safe to eat. But a fish which has ulcers on it [such as a lack of scales and blood on the skin] should not be.”

But he said the die-off was concerning as it shed light on a variety of environmental factors including rising water temperatures. The fish are also showing signs of bacterial infections.

For the full story see The Royal Gazette tomorrow.