Fish fraud: Googly eye trick forces shop to close

Social media users have poked fun at a Kuwaiti fish shop which has been exposed for using plastic eyes on fish to give them a fresher appearance.

Images of the stick-on eyes falling off the fish were circulated on social media. Source: Twitter

A fish store in Kuwait has reportedly closed down after its owners were caught putting plastic eyes on fish to make them appear fresh.

A video of the fish has been shared on WhatsApp, before the images were picked up by newspaper Al Bayan and posted on their Twitter page.

Competitor fishmongers responded by updating their advertising with the tagline: "without cosmetics enhancements" and "without coloured lenses".

Social media users praised the ingenuity of the fish sellers, saying the punishment should be minimal in light of the plan's cleverness.

Others found a lesson in the tale, or tail as the fishmongers would have it

Others took the opportunity for some word play on the fish shop owner's predicament.

Other social media users went to seek out vegetables and fruit in their kitchen to try the art project for themselves.

And for some the story recalled recent memories of seafood poisoning.