MFR PAPER 1260

Ciguatera in the U.S. Virgin Islands

J. R. SYLVESTER, A. E. DAMMANN, and RICHARD A. DEWEY

INTRODUCTION In size-age distribution, larger older be applied to a variety of food poisons fish of a species are more likely to be such as staphylococcal intoxication Ciguatera is a type of fish poisoning poisonous than smaller and younger in­ (Kawabata et aI., 1955). Therefore, that a person or animal can get from dividuals of the same species. This pat­ reasonable cause for assuming ciguat­ eating certain species of tropical fishes. tern is repeated in the Pacific (Banner et era poisoning exists where proper hand­ Brody (1972) notes that several types of aI., 1964). ling, preparation, and serving of fresh fish poisoning, including ciguatera, The symptoms of ciguatera poison­ fish is observed. have been reported in the eastern ing in the Virgin Islands are similar to Medical treatment of ciguatera is Caribbean since pre-Columbian times. those reported elsewhere (Okihiro et symptomatic and has been described by Ciguatera research in the Pacific has aI., 1965; Halstead, 1967). Within 5 to Okihiro et al. (1965). In the Virgin Is-' been extensive and comprehensive re­ 6 hours after ingestion of ciguatoxic lands, an estimated 10-15 percent of the views are given by Halstead (1967) and fish, a person generally experiences ab­ yearly total cases of ciguatera poison­ Banner (1965). Presently, the relation­ dominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and ing are severe enough to require hos­ ship between ciguatera in the Pacific other symptoms of gastroenteritis ac­ pitalization or are brought to the atten­ and in the Caribbean is obscure, and no companied by a rapid diuresis. There tion of med ical and health authorities. information is available on the may be a tingling sensation in the ex­ Commonly, persons are treated at home biochemical nature of Caribbean tremities and numbness may occur. In using a variety of medicinal plants as ciguatoxin. Although ciguatera almost all cases, there is a feeling of shown in Table I (Peterson, 1974; Lit­ symptoms observed in the Caribbean weakness which may become progres­ tle et al., 1974). At present the efficacy and Pacific are similar, there is no basis sively worse. With severe poisoning of these remedies has not been estab­ to conclude similarity in origin or there may be paradoxical sensory dis­ lished by medical science. chemical nature. turbances whereas cold objects may be Continued information is being de­ described as burning or tingling, and veloped and compiled in the Pacific on CIGUATOXIC SPECIES hot objects may be described as cold. the pharmacology, chemistry, and ori­ AND LOCATIONS Toxic symptoms in a living animal gin of ciguatera (Yasumoto et aI., 1971; are the result of a complex array of In the Virgin Islands, the Caribbean, Banner, 1965;Okihiroetal., 1965;Li, toxin-receptor interactions that find ex­ and in the Pacific, some species of fish 1965a). This paper reviews the cigua­ pression in a limited number of target are more likely to be ciguatoxic than tera problem in the U.S. Virgin Islands. organs (Li, 1965b). Further, toxins of others (Table 2). As a family, the ORIGIN AND NATURE widely different chemical structures carangids or jacks contain the most species prone to ciguatera followed by OF CIGUATERA may give rise to similar or identical symptoms (Bagnis et aI., 1970). The snappers and groupers. Further, In the Virgin Islands and the Pacific, symptoms described above for sus­ ciguatoxic fish in the Virgin Islands are it is generally believed that ciguatoxin pected ciguatera poisoning, can equally primary or secondary predators that originates in the environment and then prey almost exclusively on other fish. accumulates in the flesh and internal The majority of fishing in the Virgin organs of affected fish. Available evi­ J. R. Sylvester, A. E. Dammann, and Islands is done with fish traps or pots Richard A. Dewey are with the dence suggests the toxin is concentrated Bureau of Fish and Wildlife, Depart­ (Sylvester and Dammann, 1972). In within the food web, with its primary ment of Conservation and Cultural these waters, fish of a size caught in source as an alga, fungus, protozoan, or Affairs, Government of the Virgin Is­ traps usually are not ciguatoxic, al­ bacterium (Randall, 1958). lands, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. though there are notable exceptions

/4 Marine Fisheries Review Table 1.-Medlclnal plants used In the Virgin Islands to treat the symptoms of clguatera fish poisoning. (The efficacy of these remedies has not been established by J medical science.) / / / Symptoms 0 \' .-/ Common name Scientific name treated ~<:- ~\~O~~~~:- -

Anise Piminefla anisum Cramps. abdominal pain Arrowroot Moranta Diarrhea arundinac9a Balsam Ocimum sanctum Nervous disorders. abdominal pain Cricket Binerash Picraena exee/sa Abdominal pain. B r~s5 ~Hans lollik fever ~ Black torch Exastemma Nausea .. . caribeaum St. Thomas ~~-.;~. . ~ Button wood Conocarpus erecta Nausea, vomiting %l. .. 51. John 4 18"20" Kenip Melicocca bijuga Diarrhea Lignum vitae Guaicum Debility to restore ljWater ~.Dog • /" S.ail Rock ".. otficinalis energy ~uCk / Maubi bark Rhamabaceae sp. Cramps ".. Pap vine Passifloraceae sp. Nervous disorders / Rosemary Rosmarinus Nervous disorders Fr;nchcap : officina/is -,,------/--...._------.- -_/ Black sage Cordia ulmi/o/is Fevers, nervous 100 Fathom Drop-off disorders Snakeroot Srrychnos nux Cramps vomica Stack-ma·hark Rivina humilis Diarrhea White bark Canelia alba Cramps. pain Worm wood Artemisia Cramps 17"40· absinthium

Table 2.-Flsh species most likely to be clguatoxlc In the U.S. Virgin Islands (Randall, 1958; Bohlke and Chaplin, 1968).

Family Common name Scientific name

Sphyraenidae Barracuda Sphyraena barracuda 64"50' 64° 30' Serranidae Yellowfin Mycleroperca grouper venenosa Yellowmouth M. interstitialis grouper Figure I.-Mapof the U.S. Virgin Islands with major islands and cays. Sl. Croix is approximately 40 Misty grouper Epinephelus miles south of Sl. Thomas·SI. John. mystacinus Carangidae Ambe~ack Seriola dumerili Bar jack Caranx ruber Crevalle jack C. hippos Horse·eye jack C. laws Black jack C. lugubris Thomas, yields of poisonous fish are ciguatera-free fish populations has Blue runner C. crysos highest about the eastern tip of the is­ shown a very low incidence of poison­ Pompano AJectis crinitus Lutjanidae Cubera snapper Luljanus land. ous fish from areas near and on the cyanoplerus Some suspected ciguatoxic species lOa-fathom curve in the Virgin Islands Schoolmaster L. apodus Dog snapper L. jocu are not eaten from certain locations but (Dammann, 1969 ; Brownell , 1971 ; Mahogany snapper L. mahogoni are consumed from other areas within 5ylvester and Dammann, 1974) . Labridae Spanish hagfish L. bodianus rufus Sportin hog fish B. pulchetrus the Virgin Islands. Large barracuda Hagfish Lachno/aimus (Sphyraena sp .) are not usually eaten CIGUATERA AND maximus FISHERIES Balislidae Triggerfish Balistes vetula from the 51. Thomas-51. John area , but on 51. Croix they are marketed and sold MANAGEMENT IN THE for consumption. Species that are VIRGIN ISLANDS which include some carangids and commonly ciguatoxic in the Virgin Is­ Fisheries management in the tropics groupers. lands are ciguatera-free in other areas of poses unique problems because of the 50me areas in the islands are more the Caribbean. For example, amber­ nature of the resources . Tropical likely to produce poisonous fish than jack, Seriola dumerili, notoriously fisheries are characterized by large other areas. Fishermen in the Virgin ciguatoxic in the Virgin Islands, are numbers of species, with relatively few Islands bel ieve the areas south of 51. marketed and eaten in Puerto Rico, 100 individuals within each species. Com­ Thomas-51. John yield more poisonous miles west of SI. Thomas. mercially and recreationally, few fish than areas north of 5l. Thomas-51. The depth at which fish are caught is species are sought for food or sport. John (Figure I). Around the island of important in the distribution of Ciguatera is not a problem for the sports SI. Croix, about 40 miles south of 51. ciguatoxic fish. Exploratory fishing for fisherman who does not eat or sell his

August 1977 15 catch. However, for fish intended for Little reliable evidence is available bean . Gulf Caribb. Fish. Insl.. Proc . 24lh Annu . Sess .. p. 100-116. human consumption, the ciguatera on the biological and ecological nature Brownell, W. N. 1971. Fisheries of lhe V irgin Islands. problem is of great importance. of ciguatera in the islands. Quantitative Commer. Fish. Rev. 33( II -12):23-30. Dammann . A. E. 1969 . Sludy of lhe fisheries polemial Fisheries management in the Virgin data is sparce on species, location, and of lhe Virgin Islands. Caribb. Res. Insl., Virgin Is­ lands Ecol. Res. Sin., Comrib. No . I . 197 p. Islands has, as one of its main objec­ areal and seasonal distributions. Proba­ Dammann. A. E., and 1. R. Sylvesler. In press. Review tives, the task of maximizing catch in bility statements with adequate of Ihe sial us of Ihe Virgin Islands fisheries. Caribb. Fish. Manage. Counc . Rep. terms of pounds and numbers of fish on confidence limits cannot be made for Halslead. B. W. 1967 . Poisonous and venemous marine a sustained basis. Due to the nature of individual fish caught from any loca­ animals. Vol. II. U.S. Gov . Prinl. Off. . Wash .• D.C .. 1.070 p. the fishery, i.e., a tropical fishery, tion. A simple, effective, reliable test Kawabala. T .. K. Ishizaka. andT. Miura. 1955 . Siudies maximum yield levels must be deter­ for individual fish which does not in­ on Ihe allergy-like food poisoning associaled wilh putrefaclion of marine producls. II. Separalion of mined for many different species; how­ volve human or animal consumption is causalive subslance and some of ils chemical charac­ not available. lerislics. Jpn. J. Med. Sci. BioI. 8:503-519. ever, yields in pounds and numbers are Li. K. M. 1965a. A nOle on cigualera fish poison and generally low (Dammann, 1969; In conclusion, ciguatera is a serious aClion of ils proposed anlidoleS. Hawaii Med. J. 24:358-361 . Brownell, 1971; Sylvester and Dam­ hindrance to full commercial exploita­ ____ . 1965b. Cigualera fish poison: a cholines­ mann, 1974). tion of the limited Virgin Islands lernse inhibilOr. Science (Wash .• D.C.) 147: 1580- 1581. Demand for fresh fish in the Virgin fisheries resources, and much work Lillie. E . L. , Jr., R. O. Woodbury. and F. H. Islands exceeds supply (Dammann and needs to be done here in the islands and Wadswonh. 1974. Trees of Pueno Rico and lhe Vir­ gin Islands. U.D. Dep. Agric ., Handb. 449, Wash ., Sylvester, In press) and to meet this throughout the Caribbean. D.C .. 1,024 p. Okihiro. M. M., J. P. Keenan, and A. C. Ivy . 1965. demand, the fishery must concern itself Cigualera fi sh poisoning wilh cholineslerase inhibi­ with as many different species as possi­ lion. Hawaii Med . J. 24 :354-357. LITERA TURE CITED Pelerson . A. 1974 . Herbs and proverbs of lhe Virgin ble. In the islands, species prone to Islands. SI. Thomas Graphics. SI. Thomas. v .i., ciguatera are not, in effect, available Bagnis, R .. F. Berglund. and P. S. Elias. 1970. Prob­ 78 p. lems of loxicanls in marine food producls: I. Marine Randall. J. E. 1958. A rev iew ofcigualera, tropical fish for commercial exploitation. Hence, bioloxins. Bull. WHO 42:69-88. poisoning, wilh a lenlalive explanalion of ils cause. the ciguatera problem in the Virgin Is­ Banner. A. H. 1965. Cigualera in lhe Pacific. Hawaii Bull. Mar. Sci. Gulf Caribb. 8(3):236-267 . Med . 1. 24:353-354. Sylvesler. J . R .. and A. E. Dammann. 1972 . POI fishing lands inhibits full utilization of avail­ Banner. A. H .. P. Helfrich, P. J. Scheuer, and T . in Ihe Virgin Islands. Mar. Fish . Rev. 34(9-10): Yoshida. 1964 . Research on cigualera in lhe tropical 33-35. able and acceptable resources because Pacific. Gulf Caribb. Fish. Insl., Proc. 16lh Annu. ____ . 1974. Some observalions on Ihe deepwa­ of its sporadic and unpredictable Sess., p. 84-98. ler fishery resources of Ihe Virgin Islands. Caribb. J . Bohlke , J . E., and C. C. G. Chaplin. 1968. Fishes of lhe Sci. 14:163-165 . nature. Bahamas and adjacenl lropical walers. Livingslon Yasumolo, T .. Y. Hashimolo, R. Bagnis, J. E. Randall. Publ. Co., Wynnewood, Pa., 771 p. and A. H. Banner. 1971. Toxicily of Ihe sur­ SUMMARY AND Brody, R. W . 1972. Fish poisoning in lhe easlem Carib- geonfishes. Bull. Jpn. Soc. Sci . Fish. 37(8):724-734. CONCLUSIONS Ciguatera has a long and continuing history in the U.S. Virgin Islands. MFR Paper 1260. From Marine Fisheries Review. Vol. 39, No.8, August 1977. Throughout the years, much folklore Copies of this paper, in limited numbers, are available from 0822, User Ser­ has accumulated about its origins, vices Branch, Environmental Science Information Center, NOAA, Rockviffe, MD 20852. Copies of Marine Fisheries Review are available from the Superin­ mode of transmission in the environ­ tendent of Documents, U_S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC ment, and treatment of its symptoms. 20402 for $1.10 each.

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