Lionfish and ciguatera

[Chugwhump]

I still think you folks should stop eating my Grouper, Hogfish, and Snappers.
Chug
Trying to help.

 

[DebbyDiver]

Thanks for that input, Wookie! No doubt.

 

[Hank49]

When we started killing them in the VI, they were sent to the college to test for genotype. It was also discovered that a high number of them carried ciguatera. I hear they are tasty, but I am not willing to take the risk for that kind of illness. So it has nothing to do with how they are caught, cleaned, cooked, etc.

I wonder how much study is done in areas where people aren't getting sick. I would guess samples are sent from fish taken in the same areas where someone ate some toxic fish.
The question then is, is it present in many other areas but at very low levels? So low that no one notices it? And if a sample is sent and comes up positive, is it enough to make people sick? Maybe we eat ciguatera a lot but don't know it?

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[Bratface]

You may eat a fish with ciguatera and not get sick, but the next time you might get really sick. I guess it would have to do with how many infected fish were eaten by the fish on your plate. Kind of like Russian Roulette.

 

[faster7581]

Ive eaten them out of the gulf here in Tampa area, very white and delicious meat...

 

[Tom Winters]

I ran across a guy down in Pompano who had ciguatera some years ago. I'm remembering that it took him a year to get over it - he just felt lousy and occasionally had involuntary physical spasms, kinda like Tourette's Syndrome but without screaming the n-word in public. He would just suddenly twitch a lot for a few seconds. Also, things that were hot tasted cold to him and cold food would have to warm up, or to his then-impaired taste buds, cool down.
On the plus side, warm beer tasted ice-cold to him so life was not all bad.
In Hawaii, ciguatera can be a problem. There's a test kit available now out there, but traditionally people would test a maybe hot fish by giving some to a cat or locals from a particular country who seemed not to mind potential exposure. If the cat started acting strange, well then it was time to crack out the Spam. I always had a real problem with people overfishing the coastal areas of Oahu - nothing was EVER thrown back because it was too small or out-of-season which really reduced the offshore fish populations.
You're not going to be able to see ciguatera in the meat either, so don't depend on that.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/florida-conch-divers/429654-florida-lionfish-hunting.html

 

[danvolker]

I ran across a guy down in Pompano who had ciguatera some years ago. I'm remembering that it took him a year to get over it - he just felt lousy and occasionally had involuntary physical spasms, kinda like Tourette's Syndrome but without screaming the n-word in public. He would just suddenly twitch a lot for a few seconds. Also, things that were hot tasted cold to him and cold food would have to warm up, or to his then-impaired taste buds, cool down.
On the plus side, warm beer tasted ice-cold to him so life was not all bad.
In Hawaii, ciguatera can be a problem. There's a test kit available now out there, but traditionally people would test a maybe hot fish by giving some to a cat or locals from a particular country who seemed not to mind potential exposure. If the cat started acting strange, well then it was time to crack out the Spam. I always had a real problem with people overfishing the coastal areas of Oahu - nothing was EVER thrown back because it was too small or out-of-season which really reduced the offshore fish populations.
You're not going to be able to see ciguatera in the meat either, so don't depend on that.

When I was in tobago, the locals would shoot cuda to eat, but before eating it, they would put a piece of the meat near some ants...if the ants ate the fish, the fish was good for people..if the ants ignored the fish, the local thought it to have ciguatera.

 

[Orlando Eric]

I like the cat taste tester method. Time to google to see if cats are susceptable and the exposure times to symtomps

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The internet says yes cats willl get it and show signs in 24 hours of vomiting and "acting funny" -- I do not have a cat but my GF does. I wonder how long it will take until she see the pattern. "here is some fish parts for your cat." --next day -- How'd the cat like the fish? What is the cute little thing doing now? -- (is he sick)

 

[tep]

Looks like an update on Lionfish and Ciguatoxin

FDA Adds Lionfish to List of Fish That May Carry Ciguatoxins | Food Safety News