This am on Fox News, they announced numerous people who have eaten fish from the Gulf have become very ill. I just heard a bit while rushing out the door. Symptoms (I think) were nausea, vomiting vertigo. I have always eaten grouper excessively and red snapper. I am watching the news now and so far nothing.
I was conversing with another local about this and he informed me that the Chinese are drilling off the coast of Miami and because they aren't regulated by US, who knows what is coming into the Gulf. We both had a sad laugh at the fact that Florida refuses to allow offshore drilling while the US and even other countries are drilling miles off the Gulf. Just because you can't "see" the harmful byproducts doesn't mean they are not there.
Given, this may have nothing to do with the illness caused by the consumption of "Gulf" fish, it is worth thinking about.
Replies
7Beach LoverAuthor
SoWal Insider
SWGB
Thanks CiaoBella, I think most of us glazed over this as hysteria has been stirred up on other areas of the board. I think I'll be cutting back on fish or eating much smaller portions.
Beach Lover
Here's the whole sad story from the FDA website - there is no cure for this and cooking doesn't help - kinda like E Coli in spinach:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01790.html
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01790.html
Beach Fanatic
If I'm understanding this correctly, the affected fish come from an area near Galveston.
So, hopefully locally caught grouper/snapper is OK?
Please?
So, hopefully locally caught grouper/snapper is OK?
Please?
Skunky
If I'm understanding this correctly, the affected fish come from an area near Galveston.
So, hopefully locally caught grouper/snapper is OK?
Please?
If you don't eat it, I will
Beach Fanatic
this article was linked in today's wall street journal:
Toxin From Fish Causes Illness in Humans
February 6, 2008 - 12:39pm
WASHINGTON - Several outbreaks of ciguatera fish poisoning have been confirmed in consumers who ate fish harvested in the northern Gulf of Mexico, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.
The FDA said that fish such as grouper, snapper, amberjack and barracuda represent the most significant threat to consumers. They feed on fish that have eaten toxic marine algae. The toxin is stable in the tissue of living fish and does them no harm. But larger carnivores have higher concentrations of the toxin in their tissues. As a result, the greatest risk of poisoning for humans comes from the largest fish.
Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning include nausea, vomiting, vertigo and joint pain. In the most serious cases, neurological problems can last for months or even years. Several outbreaks of the illness were confirmed in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, the FDA said. Overall, there have been at least 28 reported cases across the country, with the first case being reported in late November.
WTOP has learned the FDA knows of 11 reported cases in the D.C. area. They all happened in May at one local restaurant, but the FDA did not specify which one.
The fish linked to the illnesses were harvested near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, an area of 56 square miles in the northwestern Gulf. The FDA recommends that processors not purchase fish harvested near the sanctuary.
Ciguatera is common in fish living in tropical and subtropical regions, including the Caribbean Sea, the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. But the FDA has considered it rare for fish in the northern Gulf of Mexico to have the toxin.
The FDA warned processors to reassess their hazard control plans as necessary, and that failure to take proper precautions may cause products to be considered adulterated by the agency.
Consumers who think they may have ciguatera poisoning are encouraged to report their symptoms and what fish they ate to a doctor or local health department.
Toxin From Fish Causes Illness in Humans
February 6, 2008 - 12:39pm
WASHINGTON - Several outbreaks of ciguatera fish poisoning have been confirmed in consumers who ate fish harvested in the northern Gulf of Mexico, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.
The FDA said that fish such as grouper, snapper, amberjack and barracuda represent the most significant threat to consumers. They feed on fish that have eaten toxic marine algae. The toxin is stable in the tissue of living fish and does them no harm. But larger carnivores have higher concentrations of the toxin in their tissues. As a result, the greatest risk of poisoning for humans comes from the largest fish.
Symptoms of ciguatera poisoning include nausea, vomiting, vertigo and joint pain. In the most serious cases, neurological problems can last for months or even years. Several outbreaks of the illness were confirmed in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis, the FDA said. Overall, there have been at least 28 reported cases across the country, with the first case being reported in late November.
WTOP has learned the FDA knows of 11 reported cases in the D.C. area. They all happened in May at one local restaurant, but the FDA did not specify which one.
The fish linked to the illnesses were harvested near the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, an area of 56 square miles in the northwestern Gulf. The FDA recommends that processors not purchase fish harvested near the sanctuary.
Ciguatera is common in fish living in tropical and subtropical regions, including the Caribbean Sea, the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. But the FDA has considered it rare for fish in the northern Gulf of Mexico to have the toxin.
The FDA warned processors to reassess their hazard control plans as necessary, and that failure to take proper precautions may cause products to be considered adulterated by the agency.
Consumers who think they may have ciguatera poisoning are encouraged to report their symptoms and what fish they ate to a doctor or local health department.
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