Why survival fishing in the Tropics isn't always easy...

[Wildernesstech]

Before I moved to the Virgin Islands I had the idea that if times got hard I could easily provide a bounty of fish. Little did I know that it would not be quite that easy.

Oh, I can catch or spear plenty of fish, they just aren't all that safe to eat. We have a little problem called "Ciguatera".

Ciguatera is a type of fish poisoning that is fueled by a dynoflagullate (sp) that is on the reefs. Reef fish eat it, then predator fish eat them, and so on...

The problem is multi-form: It is much like lead poisoning in that it builds up in your system. You may eat 1 or 30 infected fish and suddenly you are symptomatic. Another part of the problem is that while there are tests for it, they are cost prohibitive. The fish shows no signs of infection. The disease is not easily killed by cooking and the symptoms can last for years, reoccur, or even kill. Just something for those on the coasts to be aware of. I encourage you to Google "Ciguatera" for your own education, and may you never have to worry about it!

Of course I can still go offshore and fish for pelagics as they are generally safe here, but it wasn't at all how I envisioned it before the move.

I won't get into the symptoms here, as I would rather you learn more online if you are interested.

[BENESSE]

Time to go vegan.

[Winnie]

Time to go vegan.

You first

[crashdive123]

You first

Too late. Guess it's your turn now.

[Wildthang]

Looks like there would be a lot of off shore fish you could catch like yellow tail tuna, mackerel and so on! Of course you need a good boat for that as well!

[RandyRhoads]

Cig is so rare though.... IF you look at the numbers of how many people eat reef fish compared to the cases. Especially if you avoid the algae munching fish that have a higher chance of having it. It is nasty though. Only first hand case i've heard of is my medic instructors daughter getting it from vacation. Pretty crappy she got it on vacation and wasn't a person who had it as part of their normal diet.

What do you spear?

[Canoetripper]

I have the answer...............................




Eat more BACON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BENESSE]

Too late. Guess it's your turn now.

Actually I do eat seafood, eggs & cheese. Going completely vegan would not be a huge stretch for me, in fact, that option is on the table. The only thing keeping me back is the potential difficulty of being able to order in any restaurant when in the company of clients.
So far I have never had a problem.

[Wildernesstech]

Randy, Cig may be rare there, but it isn't here! A Kingfish off of the south side of the island offered to you is like waking to a horse head in your bed. Yellowtail Snapper almost never has it. Red Hind is usually ok. You can't eat 'cuda or Grouper here, not even Parrotfish! Blue Runners are sometimes ok, but not rainbow runner.Bar Jacks are a no-go. Dog, Grey, and most other Snapper are suspect. African Pompano usually are OK, but there is no guarantee. Look up the University of the Virgin Islands list...

[RandyRhoads]

Does anyone use the cig test kits there? A lot of spearos used them in Hawaii, but then they sort of disappeared.

[Wildernesstech]

Not used here often... The cost and availability kind of trumps surviving on your catch.

If I can afford the tests and have them delivered, them I am not surviving in the wilderness per se'

[Wildernesstech]

The home-spun tests with ants and/or flies don't work very well on the boat, as I discourage ants aboard, and the wind offshore tends to keep flies, and more importantly mosquitos, away!

[RandyRhoads]

?!! Oh you're talking about spearing wilderness style. How would you even so that? Are you saying like cast away chucking a wooden stick in tide pools lol.

I've only speared with expensive high tech modern gear.

[Wildernesstech]

No Randy, I am saying that even with very modern gear, there are few fish in the reef and near-shore areas here that are 100% safe to eat. There is certainly less to choose from than one would think, and few safe enough to consistantly harvest for survival. By "Survival", I mean that in hard times where money is tight or non-exsistant, and you may or may not have access to the USPS, or maybe even purchasing. What I mean is that you must have the ability to go offshore to reliably get safe fish and that usually means fuel usage, often more money than the worth of the fish. We can get lobster when they are in shallower depths, but there are times of year where they are quite deep. Just pointing out that here in the Virgin Islands eating most easily caught fish carries a high risk. NOT at all what I expected before moving here.

[crashdive123]

No Randy, I am saying that even with very modern gear, there are few fish in the reef and near-shore areas here that are 100% safe to eat. There is certainly less to choose from than one would think, and few safe enough to consistantly harvest for survival. By "Survival", I mean that in hard times where money is tight or non-exsistant, and you may or may not have access to the USPS, or maybe even purchasing. What I mean is that you must have the ability to go offshore to reliably get safe fish and that usually means fuel usage, often more money than the worth of the fish. We can get lobster when they are in shallower depths, but there are times of year where they are quite deep. Just pointing out that here in the Virgin Islands eating most easily caught fish carries a high risk. NOT at all what I expected before moving here.

It's great that you recognize this and have found ways to still harvest seafood for your lifestyle. Thanks for passing along the warning. I wonder if this is common with all reef areas? When I lived in Hawaii I dove five days a week, but seldom did any spearfishing. When I live in the Pacific NW I dove less frequently, but always came back with a lot of fish - usually Perch and Lingcod.

[RandyRhoads]

No cig out in the PNW but Hawaii has it. When I said it's so rare that's the only place I had experience with it. I thought the transmission rate was very slight everywhere. Guess not.

[Wildernesstech]

The south side of the islands is worse than the north side... It still requires gambling with safety to eat, and took me by surprise when I started to forage. That is yjr reason that I brought it up here.