FISH
POISONING: The dreaded CIGUATERA
Tingling and numb sensations in
the hands and legs, diarrhoea and
a distinct feeling of being unwell
provide a warning to the crew of
the Indies Trader that care must
be taken in selecting fish for the
table. Many thanks to the chef
Zane and crew member Ajim for
reminding us that coral trout,
maori wrasse or any large
predatory fish must be selected
here for their small size. To
ignore this may have the
consequence of a severe and
protracted illness. Some of the
crew members have already been
sick due to eating poisonous fish
earlier on the voyage. |
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Just north of the
Gambier Islands, in French Polynesia, is
the namesake locality for the tiny beast
Gambierodiscus, which was isolated as
the origin of the disease which affects
all tropical waters. Ciguatera is a
potentially debilitating disease; a
hazard that should be well known by any
visitor to tropical reefs - there are
some fish you just don’t eat. In some
cases, the poisoning can even kill you.
It’s a "food chain" thing.
Our favorite eating fish may be at the
end of a food chain that has been
tainted by a poison originating from
minute plants that can severely affect
your nervous system. These tiny plants
live on the larger, fleshy plants
(macro-algae). Other marine creatures
like crabs, snails and small fish graze
on these. The poison created by these
microscopic plants starts to accumulate
in the creatures as they feed on each
other. As larger fish prey on these, the
toxin is progressively concentrated in
the flesh of the higher level predators.
Though these large fish may have
substantial quantities of poison in
their flesh, it has no affect on their
health. This is certainly not the case
when the fish hits the dinner table.
Within 6-10 hours of eating the
offending fish, symptoms of tingling
occur on the limbs and tongue.
Sensations of temperature become
reversed with cold water feeling hot and
vice versa. Other symptoms like nausea,
profuse sweating and dilated eyes may
combine in intensity to extremes where
death appears imminent and, though
rarely occurring, the patient may wish
for an end. The duration of the illness
can be a week or longer with some of the
symptoms persisting for up to six weeks.
Fortunately, the encounter on the Indies
Trader was only a warning with a local
fisherman confirming the warning to be
careful of the large fish (and returning
our gift fillets). Yes, we discarded our
prize coral trout and kept only those
which would fit into the skillet. As
well as the "no large fish
rule", red bass, paddletail perch
and barracuda are also off the list of
seafood cuisine.
The affected members of the crew
recovered but are passing on the
additional portions of fish.
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