Update: Eating Lionfish may be dangerous

(6 July 2012 EDIT: Please note there has been an update to this issue posted – click here to read)
As a point of reference, today is 3 July 2012.

Remember the lionfish post or the spearfishing post? Bad news, campers!

I was finishing up today’s post regarding a kayaking trip when RidgeRunner sent me an email regarding lionfish consumption.

The folks over at Florida Sea Grant, in cooperation with the University of Florida and the local County Cooperative Extension offices have issued a warning against consuming lionfish due to possible ciguatera poisoning. I’m bummed. Lionfish taste GOOD!

Here is the email I recieved:
From: Gioeli,Kenneth Thomas [mailto:ktgioeli@ufl.edu]
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2012 1:45 PM
To: Gioeli,Kenneth Thomas
Subject: FW: FLORIDA SEA GRANT ADVISES AGAINST CONSUMPTION OF LIONFISH

 St. Lucie County Cooperative Extension
8400 Picos Road, Suite 101
Fort Pierce, FL 34945
Tel: 772-462-1660
Fax: 772-462-1510
http://stlucie.ifas.ufl.edu                                          

Contact:            Ken Gioeli, 772-462-1660
Released:          July 2, 2012

PRESS RELEASE

FLORIDA SEA GRANT ADVISES AGAINST CONSUMPTION OF LIONFISH

 

The University of Florida/IFAS St. Lucie County Cooperative Extension has received an update from Florida Sea Grant on food safety concerns and the consumption of invasive lionfish.  Lionfish are of particular concern because they are becoming increasingly common in the Treasure Coast.  Researchers have found that on experimental reefs, lionfish can decrease the recruitment of juvenile reef fish by almost 80 percent.  There has recently been increased discussion that innovative methods of controlling lionfish must be deployed.  Some of these discussions involve consumption of lionfish as a method to reduce lionfish populations.

Research has shown that lionfish harvested in Florida’s waterways might harbor toxins which cause a food-borne illness called ciguatera.  These toxins are produced by microbes and are not broken down by conventional cooking of the meat.

The official Florida Sea Grant statement to Extension Agents on this issue is below:

…the finding of the FDA is that ‘of 194 fish tested, 42 percent showed detectable levels of ciguatoxin and 26 percent were above the FDA’s illness threshold of 0.1 parts per billion.’

Despite the fact that NOAA has an ongoing program to teach people how to catch and cook lionfish, given this new information, under no circumstances should any person affiliated with Florida Sea Grant advocate consuming these fish, regardless of the location from which they are taken.  If someone tells you it is OK to eat lionfish, tell them that the latest FDA science indicates that there is a significant risk, and we recommend that they DO NOT eat them.

For additional information, please contact Natural Resource Extension Agent Ken Gioeli at  772-462-1660 or UF Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition Steve Otwell 352-392-4221.

###

 Erick Gill
Public Information Officer
St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners
2300 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce, Fla. 34982
www.stlucieco.gov
772-462-1791 (office)
772-342-6014 (cell)

 


Please Note: Florida has very broad public records laws. Most written communications to or from County officials regarding County business are public records available to the public and media upon request. It is the policy of St. Lucie County that all County records shall be open for personal inspection, examination and / or copying. Your e-mail communications will be subject to public disclosure unless an exemption applies to the communication. If you received this email in error, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and delete all materials from all computers. 5

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Here is a link to tcpalm.com’s announcement

WPTV’s post

and the video:

So as of right now, lionfish are no longer on my “tasty eats” list. Well they ARE tasty eats, but are not on my “Safe to eat” list. Dammit!

 

Be safe,

db

3 comments:

  1. That sucks,
    The girls are entering a lionfish roundup tournament this Saturday. Captains meeting is Friday night. I believe they are opening the saint lucie inlet state park to help get rid of them. With the statistics mentioned, my whole family should be extremely ill. We have probably eaten a few dozen this year. Next thing you know they will find you can contract mad sea cow disease from eating manatee.

    1. 😛

      The good news for the lovers of blackened lionfish (in my opinion, at least) is they never mentioned where they got there samples…and the government is known for erring on the side of caution…and we ALL know that 43% of all statistics are made up on the spot…..

      So I agree with your points regarding the questionable data.

      In the name of science, we should also do our part and look into the mad cow from manatee thing….

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