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Ciguatera and Other Marine Poisoning in the Gilbert Islands' M

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Ciguatera and Other Marine Poisoning in the Gilbert Islands' M Ciguatera and Other Marine Poisoning in the Gilbert Islands' M. J. COOPER 2 AMONG THE ANIMALS that live in the sea are was involved little.notice was taken. During and many that may be poisonous to eat; these ani­ after World W ar II attention was drawn to the mals include fish, sharks, crabs, molluscs, and problem, as there.were .many..rnore.people.in the · turtles. Of all marine animals the most impor­ Pacific who were poisoned by supposedly good tant are fish, which are for so many people an food fish, often in-areas where toxic fish had essential source of food. There are a number of been previously unknown. different ways in which teleost fish may be poi­ Although the symptoms of ciguatera poison­ sonous. Some fish are naturally poisonous; puf­ ing, the species of fish likely to-cause it, and fers for instance are always toxic. Some species many of the areas harboring toxic species have of fish can be poisonous at certain seasons; in been recorded, several aspects ''of the .problem Fiji there is a species of sardine which may be still remain to be solved. In spite of recent re­ deadly poisonous in the later months of the search into ciguatera poisoning,an'antidote to year. A third type of poisoning is found where the poison, a field test for distinguishing atoxic some fish are poisonous to eat when they are fish from a nontoxic one, the ,true nature of the caught on certain reefs or parts of a reef, and yet toxin, and the cause of the development of-eigua­ when caught on other parts of the same reef, or tera among fishes have not yet been discovered. on nearby reefs, are perfectly safe to eat. This This paper is a review ofthe history and lo­ type of poisoning, known as ciguatera, is com­ cation of ciguatera--poisoning in the ' Gilbert mon throughout the tropical Pacific, usually on Aicliipelage and of the various GiIbertese ·be­ oceanic islands and isolated reefs. liefs about marine poisoning, together with identifications of the species considered toxic Ciguatera is not, as many people think, a re­ by" rhe --Gilberteser-and-some-of the-author-s cent development. Captain Cook, in the journal opinions on the development, cause, and spread of his second voyage to the Pacific in 1772-1775, of toxicity. relates how all of his officers who ate "two red­ The Gilbert Islands are a group of 16 atolls dish fish, about the size of bream and not unlike lying north and south of the equator; .latitude them " were poisoned and the pigs, that were 3a N passes through the most -northerly island given the offal, died. These fish were taken in and latitude 3a S passes a few miles -south of the New Hebrides, and Cook refers to an earlier the most southerly island. The group lies be­ record of poisonous fish in those waters when 0 0 tween longitude 172 and 173 E of Greenwich. he remarks that these reddish fish must be the From north to south the 16 atolls are-Makin, same kind as those mentioned by Quiros, and Buraritari, Marakei, Abaiang, Tarawa, Maiana, called by him "pargos." Pedro de Quiros was Abemama, Kuria, Arunuka, -N onouti.Tabiteuea, in the New Hebrides in 1606. However, prior to Beru, Nikunau, Onoroa, Tamana, and Arorae . World War II there were few reports of cigua­ Atolls are of twO distinct kinds, lagoon islands tera poisoning in the Pacific; cases of poisoning and reef islands. A simple lagoon island consists did occur, but -unless a stranger to the Pacific of a lagoon, a body of fairly shallow water set off from the ocean, according to tradition, by a 1 Contribution N o. 214, Hawaii Marine Laboratory, ring of small islets; in fact, the islets are usually Uni versity of H awaii. Manuscript received Septemb er in a chain lying on the weather side of the la­ 24, 196 3. goon, with submerged barrier reefs on the lee 2 Research Associate, Hawaii Mari ne Laboratory, side. A simple reef island is a small island with University of Hawaii. (Home address: 28 Statham Streer, Laucala Bay, Suva, Fiji.) Study in part sup­ a fringing reef round it and no enclosed body ported by National Inst itutes of Health Contract SA­ of water. Many islands appear to be a mixture 43 -ph-3741. of both types. The total land area was estimated 411 412 PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. XVIII, October 1964 by Dr. Rene Catala at 114 square miles. The Due to the restricted nature of the Gilbertese population in 1947, the time of the last census, diet, there are very marked preferences for cer­ was 27,000; in 1958 the Gilb errese population tain species of fish. Fish considered to be very was estimated to be 32,652 (Doran, 1960 ) . fatty or greasy are greatly sought after, becaiise The information presented here was collected the Gilbertese at times develop a craving for during the period 1953-1962 while the author anim al fats. These sought-after species include was resident in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Lutianus bohar, Lethrinus variegatus, A ean­ Colony with her husband, who was an adminis­ thurus xanthopterus, Epinephelus fuseoguttatus, trative officer with the Gilb ert and Ellice Islands Cephalopholis mineatus, Myripristis spp.,Chanos Colony Government. Residence was maintained chanos, and Muraenidae spp . The larger these for varying periods of time on Tarawa, Christ­ fish, the more tasty they are considered to be. mas Island (in the Line Islands), and Ocean Some of these species have been found to be Island; personal visits were made to all the Line toxic, even dangerously so, in certain areas in and Phoenix islands, includ ing Washington the Gilberts. But even if a species is known to Island, and to almost all of those in the Gilbert be toxic, there comes a time when the Gilbert­ group. During this time the author learned the ese find it impossible to resist the temptation Gilbertese language, which permitted her to of a' good fatty meal. This craving for animal gather information directly from the islanders. fats is not restricted to the Gilbertese. Harry In the course of a study of the scientific (1953) relates that the islanders of Raroia Atoll, equivalents of the Gilbertese names for fish it in the Tuamotus, were unable to resist eating was found that while some names would en­ certain species of fat fish even when they knew compass all members of a whole family of fish, that these species were toxic, and that as a result other names were restricted to a single species, there were frequ ent cases of poisoning. Popula ­ .and some names defined"the development stages tion pressure, together with particular food .of a generic group. Through the initial study of preferences, forces the Gilb ertese to continue Gilbertese names for fish, the author became sampling a known toxic area. On account of interested in Gilbertese traditions and customs this, a fairly accurate picture of the evolution associated with fish, and finally in an investiga­ of toxicity in an area may be obtained. tion of fish toxicity in the archipelago. Considerable information was collected from The intimate association of the Gilbertese Gilbertese visiting Tarawa, from assistant med­ with the sea, almost their only source of dietary ical officers (graduates of the Fiji School of protein and fat, makes them reliable givers of Medicine) , and from officers and crews of the factual information about fish poisoning. This various ships operating in the colony. Th is in­ dependence upon the sea means that every adult formation was later checked by the author, who member of a community must have a basic was able to visit all the "toxic islands" with the knowledge about the reefs and the fish species exception of Tabiteuea and Arunuka, and by her -around his island, particularly in the area of his husband, whose duties took him to all the Gil­ village. Although in recent years the traditional bert Is.lands. A special visit was made by the depend ence on fish as a major source of food author to Marakei to obtain a more detailed pic­ has been lessened to some extent by introduc­ ture of a toxic area than was possible when tion of imported foodstuffs, the detailed knowl­ surveying the group as a whole. edge of environment has been preserved and is still known by the elders of the Gilbertese com­ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS munity who are the traditi onal custodians of natural lore. These "old men"-the term in Gil­ It is impossible to list by name all the very bertese is traditionally one of respect-have many people who have help ed me and given me proved to be the most fruitful source of infor­ the information contained in this paper, but I mation when dealing with the history of fish should like to express my thanks to all of them. toxicity. Younger men, active fishermen, have In particular I should like to thank the staff of provided information on the species caught and the Colony Medical Department; Captain E. V. the areas fished. Ward, acting marine superintendent, for infor- Ciguatera in the Gilbert Islands-COOPER 413 mation on curre nts, anchorages, and wrecks; Th e following sequence of symptoms of ci­ officers and crews of all the ships in the colony, guatera poisoning has been collected from talks especially the Co-operative Society vessels; mem­ with several assistant medical officers and col­ bers of all the missions working in the Gilberts; ony dressers (male nurses trained at the Colony Mr.
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