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Thread: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

  1. #31

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    I reckon Spaniard King can consider himself extremely unlucky for contracting ciguatera from a fish caught in northern NSW.
    Down here on the Gold Coast I know many mackeral fishos that have caught and eaten spaniards for years, and never had a problem.

    If ciguatera was prevalent here, word would spread through the fishing community and everyone would be wary - but thats not the case. . Its always been common knowledge that fish from Hervey Bay area were likely carries of ciguatera
    In fact, many years ago ,some Gold Coast pro fisho (that were doing it tough down here ) ventured up to Hervey Bay bagged a heap of fish and sold them through a Gold Coast co-op.
    It made big news in the local paper when a dozen people contracted ciguatera
    I dont think those pro fishos ever went back to Hervey Bay.

    Cheers Steve99

  2. #32

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    Had an interesting discussion a few years back with a DR Scott Hahn (a yank) who did a thiesis on Ciga' in Aust,the biggest carrier of ciga in commercialy eaten fish is coral trout closely followed by spanish mackeral,the smallest fish he found to be a carrier was a seven and a half pound spaniard caught from the vicinity of Herron island and consumed at 1770.Another interesting fact was that the yanks were desperate to use this toxin as a weapon (Australian strain) but had to abandon the exercise due to the lack of being able to cure it,it was also worked out that one tablespoon of pure refined toxin emptied into the water supply of a city the size of Cairns would kill the entire population as well as any aid/army personel that were sent into the area as a result.He (DR Hahn) ended up giving a lecture of sorts to our fishing club with slide show etc which led to a lot of spaniards being fed through the burley pot.The furtherest south I've heard of an outbreak is Brunswick Heads where a not so larg spaniard way laid a few people about five or so years ago.

    PS DR Hahn also said that the toxin was very area specific.

  3. #33

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    Quote Originally Posted by Freeeedom View Post
    Jesus - this is getting serious. I'm only eating little fish from now on!
    Cheers Freeeedom
    I always thought I was unlucky because I only catch small fish, now I have changed my mind.

  4. #34

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    You are right about the Coral Trout. I know a skipper of a Cairns game boat that does the entire eastern seaboard and he can't eat fish anymore from the cumulative affect of eating many plate size Coral Trout the deckies have speared for customer dinners. He had never had one single big dose of cig and had always been careful with big fish but now even the smallest meal will set him off with symptoms after doing many, many seasons.

  5. #35

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    that strange that people say that the coral trout from here (hervey bay) have Ciguatera, for all the years i have been fishing here, not one person(fishos)i know has contracted it from ctrout.Im not saying it has not happened, but id imagine that it would be a isolated case.

  6. #36

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    Quote Originally Posted by disorderly View Post
    Garry ,I thought the larger,older fish would have been more of a worry due to the cumulative nature of the toxin.?

    Hervey bay has been mentioned as an area that harbours the algae responsible for ciguetera poisoning.
    Does anybody know of any other area's of concern?
    Scott, I caught and ate that fish well before I got a dose of Ciga.. Any fish that I know could carry the toxin I know sample before anyone else eats it... Its simple I wont put my family through it again
    Garry

    Retired Honda Master Tech

  7. #37

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    hey i dont want to sound like a dumbass but what exactly is ciguetera?
    Gilli

    Most sports require one ball..... Fishing requires two


    GO326Q
    4M tinnie with 25hp johnson
    Call ova for a chat if you see me out on the water

  8. #38

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    Caught these three about 20mile off magnetic island whilst trying for cod. We were getting bored by the end of the day so a mate floated a few pillies of the back! The biggest one was over a metre (cant remeber how heavy). All were clean, no ciguatera.

  9. #39

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    Yeh you might have got me. I can't remember any actual cases of Cig from Platypus Bay Trout but I know a few cases of big ones caught and let go from the fear that they would most probably have Cig. Back in the days when the Brisbane Sportfishing Club started fishing out of Wathumba Ck for its annual fishing trip, local guys like Dave Brown from Maryborough used to tag along in his big Stingray and he had heaps of productive reef spots in Platypus Bay that produced Trout. That is the days before it became a virtual reef desert through overfishing and you also hear stories of trawlers dragging chains to knock down the reefier areas so they could trawl them at a later time. It is amazing to hear the fishing stories from these guys that got in on the early days of the Triangle Reefs, Trevally Ally, the Blackall Reef, Brownies Spot, Jones' Spot, the Scarlet spot, the reefs off Station Hill, the reefs off Wathumba etc. Reds as well! There have also been quite a few big ones caught from outside Breaksea and let go as well due to fear of Cig. Golden Pheonix got that monster one that time and I guess Summer Bay and Tassie Venture have seen their share of big ones come over the side. Actually it would be worth asking Arthur, Geoff, Sid, Lloyd etc. if you see them in your travels, if any of them have developed Cig from all the fish from out there that they would have eaten over the years?

  10. #40

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral


    STEAKS ON THE BBQ,WHAT CIGUATERA.
    Caught at the Fairway spar,approx 15nm from Platapus Bay, as of all the others over last 6 years, but not as big as this felow, like em around the 8kg,
    Hear a lot ov stories, have not come across a fair dinkum person who has experience the CIG.
    I never give fish away that may carry this ciguat. cheers Ged

  11. #41

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    We have caught a few 15+ spanish makeral from the big mic beacon at rainbow beach and eaten everyone of them with no problems at all.

    cheers tassie JR

  12. #42

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    Quote Originally Posted by Smithy View Post
    Yeh you might have got me. I can't remember any actual cases of Cig from Platypus Bay Trout but I know a few cases of big ones caught and let go from the fear that they would most probably have Cig. Back in the days when the Brisbane Sportfishing Club started fishing out of Wathumba Ck for its annual fishing trip, local guys like Dave Brown from Maryborough used to tag along in his big Stingray and he had heaps of productive reef spots in Platypus Bay that produced Trout. That is the days before it became a virtual reef desert through overfishing and you also hear stories of trawlers dragging chains to knock down the reefier areas so they could trawl them at a later time. It is amazing to hear the fishing stories from these guys that got in on the early days of the Triangle Reefs, Trevally Ally, the Blackall Reef, Brownies Spot, Jones' Spot, the Scarlet spot, the reefs off Station Hill, the reefs off Wathumba etc. Reds as well! There have also been quite a few big ones caught from outside Breaksea and let go as well due to fear of Cig. Golden Pheonix got that monster one that time and I guess Summer Bay and Tassie Venture have seen their share of big ones come over the side. Actually it would be worth asking Arthur, Geoff, Sid, Lloyd etc. if you see them in your travels, if any of them have developed Cig from all the fish from out there that they would have eaten over the years?
    Will do Smithy, as i do bump into these guys from time to time. This topic has forced me to think more about this condition, because it affects me as a local ,and i am a avid trout/ red emporer fisher, taking fish from places like southern to northern gutters and from over the breaksea spit to the shelf. Maybe the trout from the 25 fathom hole and south-east areas are more prone to the cig,being closer to Platpus bay , which seems to be the hot spot. Maybe i should be targeting snapper and perlies instead!!
    On a different topic, thanks for your advise about the stabicraft and the guys from one of the marine licenceing centers down you way took me for a drive in their 7200? stabi and it went very well.

  13. #43

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    That'd be Darryl that I bought my boat from. I think he bought a 759 with twin 115 E-Tecs. Steve (Gelsec) from on here drives it for him from time to time I believe.

    On the Brisbane Sportfishing Club trip, at least one member a year would come down with it on average from eating something innocuous like a Queenie or something without thinking. I reckon personally I would have met 5 people with it then.

    Also for the guys that might be fine, the toxin could be building up in you and you have not exhibited symptoms yet but the next fish you eat might trip you off over the edge. For some people that have it, any fish can set them off again with symptons, not just an affected fish.

    As Garry can atest to, it is not something to be taken lightly!
    Last edited by Smithy; 18-02-2008 at 02:18 PM.

  14. #44

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    our family was struck down with cig in the early seventies when we ate mackerel from a fish and chip shop , my mother nearly died and spent a long time in intensive care. for the rest of her life up to 2000 if she touched a fish here hands would swell like balloons in minutes. lucky for me i ate potato chips as well as the fish, this had the effect of absorbing some of the toxin and i only came quite sick.
    the funny thing is that if i ate creek fish i was ok but ate reef fish i would get vomiting and a metalic taste in my mouth . thirty years later im into reef fishing again and eating reef fish carefully. the rules i follow carefully are 1 dont eat mackeral that hang around the GBR ALSO NEVER IN SUMMER. mackeral that travel onto the inside close shoals is fine there diet is different from reef mackeral. i know some people will say that there the same fish just passing through yes i agree but i believe the toxian comes from reef area. mackeral that start to feed on the shoals there toxity wanes as they are no longer feeding on the reef. i believe it is mainly a north queensland problem but luckily winter time is the main season. for those down south who are unlucky to get it i would say you have probably just caught one that has just moved down there from a northern reef for summer. 2 trout caught of headlands and close shoals i just say yummy ones i catch off the GBR in summer i quite often get headaches a sure sign so stick to the smaller ones . at winter i don't seem to have much trouble. i hope this is helpful i cant say if it is totally correct but it is a guide that has worked so far for me as i love eating fish the one thing that was proven at hospital which i will type in bold IF YOU ARE EATING REEF FISH THAT YOU ARE A BIT WARY EAT OTHER ABSORBING FOOD LIKE POTATO WITH IT.

  15. #45

    Re: Ciguatera & Spanish mackeral

    I met a couple here in the bay (used to own a 2nd hand shop here) that got a serious case of Ciguatera from eating Snapper, Coral Trout, and Grunter caught whilst doing an overnighter in Platypus Bay.

    Apparently part of the problem was that they had such big portions which led to a larger consumption of the toxin. (buggers me how some people can eat so much in one sitting!)

    As has been said a few times it is supposedly very location specific, although personally I would never keep a Spanish Caught anywhere in Hervey Bay (I treat it the same as a Red Bass to be safe)

    I probably err on the side of caution but here's what I do to try and avoid a case of Ciguaterra

    - don't keep any fish caught in/near Platypus Bay

    - don't keep any Spanish caught in Hervey Bay

    - Limit portions of fish to a reasonable size per serving (approx 100-150 grams) - remember this stuff accumulates in humans just as it does in fish


    As I said above I am aware that I'm probably erring on the side of caution, but I'd rather avoid getting ciguaterra than be gung ho about it!

    Ozbee - thanks for the tip. We love taties and almost always have them with fish although will make sure they're always on the plate now!

    Cheers
    Tony

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