Since a month ago, news about catfish which allegedly contains 3000 cancer cells is growing rapidly. In the news circulating, it is known that the catfish in Haikou, Hainan province, China is cultivated in a pond with strong smelling garbage, surrounded by pig and chicken cages. Then, is it true that catfish contains 3000 cancer cells? Knowing the Ins and Outs of Catfish There are many species of catfish in Indonesia. Clarias batrachus is one of the favorite breeds of farmed catfish. There is also the African catfish (also known as king cat fish, king catfish, ed.) which is the result of crossbreeding female catfish from Taiwan and males from Kenya, Africa. However, it is not known which of the F1, F2, or F3 breeds produced this type of catfish. Have you ever heard of sangkuriang catfish? Sangkuriang catfish is the result of genetic engineering from the Sukabumi Freshwater Cultivation Center (BBAT) derived from African catfish. Catfish live in fresh water, precisely in rivers where the water is not too heavy, for example in lakes or small puddles. Stigma catfish are dirty and dirty, right? Catfish have additional gills, so they can take oxygen from the air. That is the reason why catfish can live even in oxygen-poor water environments. This fish is also able to live even though the environment is polluted with organic materials. Catfish are carnivores that like to eat water fleas, larvae, worms, and snails. The remains of rotting objects and human waste also like to be eaten by catfish. However, catfish do not like plants. This behavior makes people think of catfish as dirty fish. Compared to grouper and carp, catfish is preferred by the public because the price is more affordable. Catfish connoisseurs are generally people with middle to lower economic levels. The high demand for catfish makes catfish farming more attractive to the public. Make no mistake, catfish in Indonesia is now cultivated with good cultivation quality. This is different from the news circulating. Providing good feed and regular pond maintenance will prevent the development of disease in catfish. So of course it will make catfish safe for consumption. It is not true that catfish is said to contain 3000 Cancer Cells. Several issues circulating also discuss that the size of the catfish can detect what food he eats during his life. According to rumors, the large size of the catfish indicates that the catfish is raised with feed from human waste or in a septic tank. However, this issue is questionable. The reason is, there are also catfish that harvest late because they failed to buy a middleman or seller so that their body size continues to grow because it is past the harvest period. What about catfish on the market? In general, all catfish on the market come from catfish farms. The seller must have a relationship with catfish farmers who are able to supply a number of catfish every day continuously with a certain size. This is difficult to do if catfish farming is only done in a natural way, which takes many years until the fish are big. Not only cultivators, the government also continues to monitor fish hatcheries and cultivation, especially catfish. In an interview with detik.com, the Head of the East Java Provincial Fisheries and Marine Service, Heru Tjahjono, explained that his party had tested samples of hormone, antibiotic, and heavy metal residues in catfish farming units in East Java. As a result, no samples containing the three residues were found. So, don't be afraid to eat catfish, okay?