SUVA, Fiji (8 Oct 2001) -- A lecturer at USP believes ciguatera fish poisoning, while fatal, should be seen as a blessing in disguise for conserving the Region's fast depleting fish resources. Biology lecturer Mr. Temakei Tebano has carried out extensive research on ciguatera poisoning in the Region and has been involved in surveys, particularly in Nauru and Kiribati. He is in the process of compiling a report on how ciguatera poisoning in the South Pacific region is a blessing rather than a curse. Ciguatera poisoning is detected when people start experiencing temperature reversal -- hot things feel cold and cold things start feeling hot -- after eating fresh fish. According to Mr. Temakei, ciguatera is prevalent in all countries of the South Pacific and occurs after eating toxic fish such as moray eel, barracuda, emperor fish, shark, and other reef fish. The poison passes to these fish through the food chain beginning with algae or seaweed containing tiny organisms, which contain highly toxic chemicals. "If the concentration of the toxins is high in the fish, a person may get sick for days or weeks, and in very serious cases, they may die. A lucky person with a low dose of the poisoning may be sick for a few hours," Mr. Tebano said. Mr. Tebano said that natural fluctuations in the occurrence of ciguatera remained a mystery. However, he said increases were linked to the environmental disturbances such as reef blasting and waste disposal (domestic, industrial, war, etc.). Avoiding environmental disturbances such as reef blasting may help decrease ciguatera poisoning, Mr. Tebano said. | | He said the best way to decrease incidences of ciguatera fish poisoning was to stop eating fish species that have the potential to become toxic, especially those located near reefs. "Looking at the issue from a biodiversity perspective, ciguatera is a blessing because it is a natural way of conserving and managing our resources," Mr. Tebano said. Fish commonly carrying the ciguatera poison are surgeonfish, red snappers, moray eels, sharks, barracuda, big jack, trevallies, groupers and rock cod. Mr. Tebano said other fish were also toxic depending on the island and the location. Lists of ciguatera-prone reef areas and fish species can be obtained from the local fisheries departments. He said the existing marine resources in the South Pacific could not entertain the two main issues of increasing food for an increasing population and the cash oriented economy, and ciguatera was nature's way of protecting fish stocks. |
