Latest on Ciguatera - hoping to clarify a few things

I had this about 7 years ago - terrible experience...you dont want it....tom

Caught ciguatera about 20 years ago. Recall it was from sea bass. We had served it to visiting friends from Bolivia. We called them but no one else had a problem, just me, so the part of the fish I ate must have been the only one to have the concentration of the toxin.

Thought I was going nuts and went to see Dr. Antonio Grisanty, an internist. By the tingling sensation, he immediately identified the disease. If my memory doesn't fail me, he just prescribed vitamin B. He told me over the years he had caught the illness several times and hadn't stopped eating fish nor would stop.

Ever since think twice about eating sea bass (mero), but this is more scarce here now. Mostly they sell the Vietnam-manufactured mero basa.

Eat plenty of dorado and chillo (red snapper) and have not had a problem. Definitely would not stop eating fish.

What I read is that any fish lesser than 5 pounds is less likely to be ciguatoxic.

Interesting reading:
http://www.sportfishingmag.com/species/fish-species/perils-ciguatera

The key is really fish size and habitat. If its a reef fish then it probably contains the toxin in some form or other. Its for this very reason that I always throwback amberjack, and 'cuda when fishing in or around reefs. Either way, it is a crap shoot.
On the other hand, while working in Great Inagua several years back, I ate 'cuda several times a week, as these were fish that I caught which lived in the inland creeks, and hadn't migrated to the reefs.

My rule of thumb is not to eat reef fish in months without an "r' in their name. So far this old wives "tail" has worked for me. Trust this because of course I am indeed an old wife!

Man?el said:

After doing some research we decided to throw away a beautiful freshly caught barracuda. Apparently being on top of the food chain, it's very likely to be affected by the bacteria (1 in 3 in Florida!).

I read that it's more likely found in larger predators 4.5lbs+. Does it mean it's safe to eat a 2lb barracuda even if it contains the toxin? How about red snapper, grouper, chillos, etc?

We've been eating all of the above except for barracudas for over two years without issues. They are usually smaller than 2lbs.

Parrot fish are very common on the north coast, but can they accumulate enough toxin to be an issue? Apparently not as it gets concentrated through the food chain and they are at the bottom. Is it possible to know the food chain order of commonly found fish on the north coast?

Do local fishermen know much of this all?
Have any of you gotten the Ciguatera symptoms?

Click to expand...

Parrotfish should be banned from the list of fishes to eat. This fish should be protected but i am sure people pretend to be ignorant and are being served in hotel buffets in Punta Cana area. They are very important for bioerosion, seaweed and only fishes which can protect the carribean coral reef.

This older thread has some useful links and links to other threads on DR1 that should answer your questions.