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Fish in a former dock in Hull could die as a result of being fed chips and pasties by customers at a nearby shopping centre, experts have warned.

The koi carp were introduced to the basin in front of Princes Quay Shopping Centre when it opened in 1991.

Since then, their numbers have increased, with 1,200 fish added in 2010 alone, and over the years they have become an attraction for people using Monument Bridge, in front of the centre.

However, Iain Turner, from the Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM), has said feeding scraps of "non-natural" food to the fish "will shorten their lives".

Mr Turner, the IFM's development officer, said people should "enjoy the fish but resist the temptation to throw in food scraps".

He added: "Carp will eat, eat, eat. They will eat things like sausage rolls, pasties and chips.

"The fish may look healthy because they're so big, but if they're fed non-natural food like this their vital organs, especially their livers, will become encased in fat. It really isn't good for them."

On Monday, one man who was throwing a full loaf of bread, broken into small pieces, into the basin told the ����ý: "I like feeding them. I only throw bread for them. There is no problem."

But shopping centre customer Pauline Johnson and her three-year-old granddaughter said they were unhappy seeing people feed the fish.

"They are such beautiful fish. It's lovely to sit and watch them. We often see people throwing all sorts in there. It's disgusting."

Over time the brackish water outside Princes Quay Shopping Centre has become fresh as it is now cut off from the Humber and fed by rainwater.

A Princes Quay spokeswoman said the shopping centre's owners would always ask members of the public not to throw food into the dock.

"However, it is worth noting you can feed koi pretty much anything that doesn’t have a lot of carbs.

"The seagulls, ducks and pigeons are always dropping food into the dock and the fish soon snap it up.

"As the dock is a hub of wildlife activity, they do generally feed off algae, insects and vegetation which is in the dock. You can see by the sheer size of the koi that they certainly don't go without."

According to the IFM, koi carp can "live for several decades", but fed the wrong diet their lifespans can be cut to just two to three years.