A quick troll this morning

[gavsgonefishing]

Didn't know about the ciguatera, can anyone confirm??

Boat was excellent at long last

And yes Phill I did think spaniard, wasn't overly happy when he surfaced

[uripper]

Gav

Despite popular opinion have found cuda very good eating if bled, iced & eaten fresh (like most B grade fish) - the rank smell of some cuda seems to come from the skin not the flesh & wont be tasted if treated properly - found they dont freeze well (like most B grade fish) - the following may help re the ciguatera issue

Ciguatoxins arise from biotransformation in the fish of ciguatoxin-precursor
gambiertoxins produced by Gambierdiscus toxicus, a marine dinoflagellate that lives in association with macroalgae, usually attached to dead coral. It is unlikely that other toxic benthic dinoflagellates are involved. The toxins and their metabolites are concentrated in the food chain when carnivorous fish prey on smaller herbivorous fish. Humans are exposed to the ciguatoxins at the end of the food chain, particularly when they eat large fish, which tend to be the most toxic. More than 400 species of fish, starting with herbivores and spreading up the food chain to large carnivores, can be vectors of ciguatoxins, but generally only a few species of fish are incriminated in CFP. In Queensland, the main toxic species are narrow-barred Spanish mackerel, coral trout, reef cod and barracuda. Outbreaks tend to be sporadic and localised. The presence of G. toxicus is unpredictable and patchy, both in distribution and time. Only certain genetic strains of G. toxicus produce ciguatoxins, and the trigger for toxin production is not known.
source: http://www.affa.gov.au/corporate_doc.../ciguatera.pdf

There seems to be a popular consensus that mackerel under 10kg are relatively safe though Ive heard a recent report that commercial markets were selling fish well above this size from a known ciggy location i.e. northern Hervey Bay.

I'd line up for some of that cuda any day (fresh, not frozen). If its got a dose of ciggy then there will be an awful lot of Sunny coast mac eaters who'll have something to think about.

The ciggy topic could be worthy of further research with local authorities to get the facts
- any volunteers??

MalM

PS another extract - noting it doesnt even mention barracuda
Species involved in Queensland include grouper, coral trout, narrow-barred Spanish mackerel, and Maori wrasse.
source: http://www.aims.gov.au/arnat/arnat-0004.htm

& the really bad bit - It is best that a person suffering from ciguatera avoid eating fish, fish products, and alcohol for up to 6 months - strewth, shoot me

[caloundra]

gav
nice size barracutta there
I'm sure it was great just to be on the water at last

Daniel

[reeldreamer]

Couldn't pay me to eat those things more from a health propective than a taste thing they are also full of worms aswell as ciggy! Good to be out at least i guess!

mitch