Ciguatera fish poisoning Palm Beach Reef

[RayLamp]

Crap, I've caught and eaten a few from up FNQ.

I can't remember where I saw it, but I can recall it being written somewhere that you can get a tingling feeling in your hands if you touch affected flesh from cig poisoned fish. Not the reverse symptoms, just a pins and needles type sensation. I don't know if you have to already have some cig in your system for this to work though.

[Daveje]

Yeah RayLamp, I've heard that one aswell from my wife's cousin who eats and catches a load of mackerel and has done for many years. He said that he gets it or has gotten it on occasions (can't remember which one) when he cleans school mackerel, of all things. He mainly eats only Spanish these days though.

[mattooty]

JB, did you end up trying the fly method?

[Chimo]

http://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/...-1226828970409

[marto78]

It makes you wonder if there have been larger then usual algae blooms somewhere up north in the last 12 months.

Has there ever been a tag and release program on mackarel to determen how far they actually travel?

Would it be possible that these fish are coming down from as far north as Cardwell where cyclone Yasi hit?

[conco46]

I caught 3 Spaniards 2 weeks ago, 1 @ 10kg 1 @ 12kg and a small 6kg, me and family ate them nearly every night, about 5-6 times a week plus and couple of lunches, I was eating very large portions (cause it was delicious ), I got runny bum 1 morning but it has been going around and it wasn't bad, so don't know if it was fish related & normally get runny bum now and then but thats more VB related haha

bit worried about keeping them now and feeding kids.
what happens if you catch it? are u bed ridden for a while?
how long until u can go back to work?

[gr hilly]

if you saw how crook the bloke was in the Logan Hospital you chuck THEM BACK.

Hilly

[Spaniard_King]

I caught 3 Spaniards 2 weeks ago, 1 @ 10kg 1 @ 12kg and a small 6kg, me and family ate them nearly every night, about 5-6 times a week plus and couple of lunches, I was eating very large portions (cause it was delicious ), I got runny bum 1 morning but it has been going around and it wasn't bad, so don't know if it was fish related & normally get runny bum now and then but thats more VB related haha

bit worried about keeping them now and feeding kids.
what happens if you catch it? are u bed ridden for a while?
how long until u can go back to work?

A day or so, just like a bad dose of food poisoning with the spewin and sh!tin

[Mr Squiggles]

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

I posted up a while ago about this but it was Vanuatu, not Fiji.
We were catching a fair range of fish & were giving most to the locals on the property we were on & the ant test was done to all fish.
Our skipper, a great bloke called Alfred, had got the disease twice & did not want a third bout that's for sure.
Mr. S

[Chimo]

Thanks Mr S.

Back to the two questions:

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

Cheers
Chimo

PS Maybe you could do a test? ( You dont have to eat the fish just see if the ants do avoid some!)

[WertzGoldCoast]

Does anyone know the prevalence of Cig in the fish? Is it like a 1 in 50 chance or less or more?

Smaller ones should be pretty safe?

[gr hilly]

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

let the healthiest bloke get crook and the tell him he's bared from eating fish for 6 months ill let him watch me eat snapper flathead and whiting he will love you im sure.
Hilly
i

[wayno60]

chimo,
Im heading out wed night/thur morning so if i get any ill test the theory....

[nathank]

im a bit crook untill lunch on thursday, (sick of work and the crap weather on the weekend) seeya out there wayno.. im thinking of dodging the mermaid/palmbeach crowds though

[wayno60]

I hear ya brother... was thinking of the bait grounds straight out the front, then go from there....