Fish poison problems

Fish Poison Problems

Cigua-Check, the only commercially available test for detecting ciguatera poison in fish, is now available to the general public. A package of five tests is priced at US$20 per package plus shipping and handling charges. The test is also available at fishing, drug and sports stores throughout Hawaii.

Humans become afflicted with ciguatera by eating near-shore tropical fish that contain ciguatoxin. The test determines whether a fish's flesh contains the toxin. A grain-sized piece of the fish's muscle is placed in a vial of liquid methanol. A test strip is added, air-dried and placed in a second vial containing a purple liquid. If the strip remains purple after being rinsed, the meat contains ciguatoxin and should not be eaten.

Symptoms of ciguatera fish poisoning in humans include weakness, diarrhea, muscle pain, joint aches, numbness and tingling, temperature reversals (cold feels hot and vice versa), nausea, chills, itching, headaches, sweating and dizziness. Although the disease rarely causes death, symptoms can last for several months and, for sensitive persons, can reoccur even if no additional ciguatoxic fish are eaten.

For more information or to order the test, contact Oceanit Test Systems, 1100 Alakea St., 31st floor, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA; phone (808) 539-2345; or visit the company's web

Now, some thoughts on ciguatera fish poison from Gary Poyssick:

Having spent a good deal of time in the islands, I thought the article about ciguatera poison in fish was quite interesting. There's an old trick that fisherman in the islands routinely practice to determine the level of poison
in Barracuda, which are notorious for holding high levels of this toxin (especially big fish, over ten pounds or so).

When they catch barracuda (a common catch), they always bring them home. When they get there, they cut a small chunk of meat from near the tail and put it on an ant hill. If the ants eat it, so do they. If the ants move it
off the mound and leave it alone, the fish goes in the garden for mulch. Seems that the ants know if the toxin levels are within an edible range. Since very few people in the islands get sick from fish, it must work.

Gary Poyssick