'I will still eat fish, I'm not worried'

The Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) has called on the local residents to stop consuming fish and clams due to the high pollution level in Jakarta Bay. However, many fishermen at Muara Angke fish market argued that they caught fish in open seas, and therefore, their fish were safe to eat. The Jakarta Post talked to some residents about the issue.

Mercy Adriani, 34, is a diet consultant at a slimming center in Menteng, Central Jakarta. She lives in a boarding house in Pedurenan, South Jakarta:

I always tell my clients to eat fish because it has a low fat content and is high in protein, and I still do, even after the news about pollution that killed fish in Jakarta Bay.

I really love (eating) fish. Usually I go to Muara Karang or other seafood places to eat. The last time I went there was three weeks ago, but I had a gurame fish just last Saturday.

I will still eat fish. It's a favorite of mind. It's hard to say no to somebody who already has a liking for fish. I think it's going to be OK, I'm not worried.

Selby, 55, is a retired employee of a trading company in Glodok, West Jakarta. He lives with his wife and two children in Titian Indah, Bekasi:

I told my wife not to cook or to buy any seafood once I read about the fish dying in Ancol from the newspaper. Last week, my wife bought some fish, but I did not allow my family to eat it. The fish ended up in the trash bin.

I don't know when I will start consuming fish again. I will wait, maybe for another notice from the government that declares that fish is safe to consume again.

-- The Jakarta Post