This entry was posted on Sunday, November 16th, 2008 at 12:51 pm and is filed under About, Adventure Cruises, History, Information, Sites, Snorkeling, Snuba. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Photo Courtesy Dr. Jack Randall
The blue trevally is a beautiful animal usually seen in small schools. In ancient Hawaii, as said in a previous posting, the ulua of many species in the family were substituted for human sacrifice when humans were not available, according to Mary Pukui, the author of the Hawaiian Dictionary.
These fish are predators, eating small fish, crustaceans and mollusks they find in lagoons, near shore, off sandy shallows, and in deeper waters as well. They can grow to 70 centimeters (27.5 inches) and weigh up to 8,000 g (17.5 pounds approx.). This fish is, and always has been, an important food fish, but recently there have been reports of ciguatera, making the meat questionable. For local fishermen, including the ones this author has interviewed, many carry ciguatera testing kits to use just to be safe.
Just what is ciguatera? Since we’ve been asked to add this information in a posting, I will take the time now. It has an interesting origin. According to Wikipedia the illness was named and identified in the early 1800s in Cuba. According to local folklore, an Englishman on the Isla de Piños caught and consumed a barracuda, after which he became very ill. When asked about it he claimed he had “eaten a fish from the seawater”. The word ‘ciguatera’ came from the translation of the word ’seawater’ in Spanish. Captain Cook also mentions the illness when in New Caledonia. In northern Australia where this illness frequently pops up, it is said that if you were to place a contaminated piece of fish out and flies won’t land on it, then you know. Although this is interesting, there is no scientific research to back this claim. After eating a contaminated fish research shows the patient will have flu-like symptoms of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headaches, hallucinations, and in some, a burning sensation when coming in contact with cold. This illness can be transferred through breast milk to an infant. The symptoms can last from weeks to over 20 years. Even after getting better, experts say the symptoms can reoccur triggered by consuming nuts, alcohol, chicken, fish, eggs, or even by coming into contact with bleach. According to science, currently there is no effective treatment, or cure, for ciguatera. All doctors can do is help with treating the symptoms, such as vitamins for fatigue, saline for dehydration, and steroids have also been used.
Ciguatera is reported from eating of tropical fish only, the Caribbean and Pacific oceans having the most reported cases. Some researchers believe this stems from smaller reef fish eating chemically laden algae, thereby transferring these toxins to larger fish who preyed on the reef animals. There is much research being done and perhaps we will have more conclusive answers in the near future. If you are worried about consuming a toxic fish, please go to www.http://fishbase.org and look up the type of fish you enjoy most. This website is wonderful and has up to date information.
Snorkeling in Hawaiian waters is a very enjoyable experience, and the chance of seeing blue trevallys is very good. The smaller schools travel reefs frequently, scoping out their next dinner plan. Ready? Let’s go! The water temperature around Hawaii right now is about 76-78 degrees. It’s a bathtub. The biggest one on the planet!
