Man Finds Tongue-Eating Bug in Fish Meal

A shopper at Morrisons supermarket in Swansea, South Wales, was left shocked after he found a tongue-eating bug in his fish supper.

Paul Poli, 62, is a retired headmaster and was about to have dinner after having shopped at the supermarket. Just when he was about to enjoy his very-delicious sea bass, he discovered the dangerous yellow creature inside the fish.

He returned the dish back to the supermarket. It was examined and later identified as cymothoa exigua, which is commonly known as the tongue-eating louse, Metro reports.

The bug uses a unique mechanism to feed itself. It enters the fish's body through its gills and attaches itself to its tongue and then eats it. This way, every time the fish eats something, the bus also gets fed.   

Poli, who is also a resident of Swansea in South Wales, said: "It was disgusting - I love fish but it has put me off it for life now."

The retired headmaster, further describing the creature, said: "It was about 3cm long and 8mm wide - luckily just big enough for me to see it before I put it in my mouth."

Morrisons apologised to him Saturday and also gave him a bottle of wine as well as a $31.29 voucher.

Clarifying the matter, a spokesman of the supermarket giant said that it is natural for some fish to pick up parasites from their eco system.

"Although we make every effort to screen these out during the skinning or packaging processes, they may be present on very rare occasions. Our skilled fishmongers will also identify them as they fillet a fish - Mr Poli's fish was sold un-filleted at his request," he said, Mirror reports.