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