Ciguatera fish poisoning Palm Beach Reef

[JB]

Hi all, just wanted to give everyone a heads up about Cig. I caught a 10-13kg spanish (estimated.. never weighted it will post pic u can make ur own call on size) from palm beach reef on Saturday and my parents , neighbours all have got Ciguatera fish poisoning. I haven't eaten any of it (feel really terrible) and just wanted to say even if you get a fish from palmy and think its safe (i.e not a monster and not from somewhere like hervey bay) it can still carry it.

Last time i'll be keeping one let alone giving it to friends and family. Feel bloody awful.

JasP1070551.jpg

[Willo]

Yeh Mate ..Spaniards are always a risk but down this far ya think ya safe...!!!!!! But every 4 or 5 years ya hear of someone getting it ......Before I give any of mine away I cook a little bit up and taste test it it ....If I am still ok next day ..all good.. sort of Human guinea pig .....
Just about to taste test a couple now ..LOL..hope they werent related to yourrs....

[chris69]

The bigger the fish the more of a risk.

[daveo17]

is there any way to tell with out eating the fish?

[Back In Black]

is there any way to tell with out eating the fish?

My question as well daveo17?? Pretty damn worrying. I was always told never to touch bigger spanish north of Hervey Bay, but now the Gold Coast??

I told my wife at lunch time & she said she wont even risk it now, as we eat fish 2-3 times per week, & I think you can't touch fish for quite a while??

Willo- I can see the merit in what you do, but I wonder how much you need to ingest to get crook??

I assume spotties are OK?? Does anyone have a definitive answer on that one, as I'm going fishing on Friday, so knowing my luck I'll probably get a spanish now I have these doubts in my head!!

Tony

[Chimo]

Do I remember correctly someone on here said the people of Fiji feed a sample of suspect fish to their ants and if the ants eat it its OK.

Two points,
1 Does it work here with our local ants?
2 Are our ants smart enough to trust?

Cheers
Chimo

[Aussie123]

My question as well daveo17?? Pretty damn worrying. I was always told never to touch bigger spanish north of Hervey Bay, but now the Gold Coast??

I told my wife at lunch time & she said she wont even risk it now, as we eat fish 2-3 times per week, & I think you can't touch fish for quite a while??

Willo- I can see the merit in what you do, but I wonder how much you need to ingest to get crook??

I assume spotties are OK?? Does anyone have a definitive answer on that one, as I'm going fishing on Friday, so knowing my luck I'll probably get a spanish now I have these doubts in my head!!

Tony

The Spanish off Hervey Bay are the same fish that you catch here off Brisbane a few weeks later so it is the same risk.
Ciga does not disappear from the fish in that short distance.
It has always been recommended to not eat Spanish around 20kg and bigger as they are high risk but its just plain bad luck to strike it in a smaller sized fish.

[seawind8]

I had a mate whol caught a mild dose from spotties
Cheers

[Schulzy]

I have always been told it's more likely residential fish back in the day my grandfather caught three in platypus bay. The smallest one had ciguatera the two biggest were fine my grandmother still can't eat any bigger fish at all

[ifishcq1]

get the healthiest person in the family to try a small piece
a healthy individual may get a little bit nausious for a very short time (half an hour or less) if the fish has ciguatera
this method works with no ill effects
if you don't believe me, I will do the test for you
I have had it twice many years ago so I don't take it lightly
last time I couldn't eat any seafood for about a year and if you know me that is the worst thing that could happen since I have fish at least four meals a week then crabs or prawns another couple
I have eaten two 50kg spaniards and another well over thirty and thirty or so others in the past few years
my offsider gave the first piece to his dad before we ate any of the last big fish
cheers

[perko]

I had a mild dose from spotties caught in Hervey Bay years ago. We were on holidays and caught a heap and ate them every night for a week. My wife and I had terrible gastro and hot cold were reversed and numb lips etc. Back then we didn't know what was going on but looking back I guess it was Ciga. I don't risk it now. Just eat whiting, flathead, reefies and a few schoolies.

[Aussie123]

There is some really good reading about ciga in this document.
www.nt.gov.au/d/Content/File/p/Fishnote/FN41.pdf

Fish species implicated in ciguatera outbreaks in the Northern Territory and Queensland, including
outbreaks in other parts of Australia that have imported fish from these regions mostly include:
Barracuda Sphyraena jello
Chinaman fish Symphorus nematophorus
Cobia Rachycentron canadus
Coral cod Cephalopholis miniata
Coral trout Plectropomus spp.
Flowery cod Epinephelus fuscoguttatus
Groper Epinephelus lanceolatus
Paddle tail Lutjanus gibbus
Queenfish Scomberoides commersonnianus
Red bass Lutjanus bohar
Red emperor Lutjanus sebae
Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus commerson
Spotted mackerel Scomberomorus munroi
Sweetlip emperor Lethrinus miniatus
Trevally Caranx spp.

[ifishcq1]

if you take out chinamen and red bass that are banned so we can't take them anyway and third worst on the list is barracuda
put all the rest in a basket and divide them by the amount of meals eaten and the amount of actual cases and that leaves the odds of getting ciguatera way less than getting hit by a car, dying of bee sting or most things, almost up there with multiple lotto win
the weed that it comes from only grows in tropical waters particularly in spots of reef that have had major damage like cyclones or ship wrecks
I studied it extensively when I fished full time
cheers

[spelchek]

Out of interest, JB - how did you dress the spaniard? Steaks or fillets?

[Daintreeboy]

I've heard cats are very susceptible to Ciguatera......