Susan

My husband and I are going to the Bahamas in a month. We are looking forward to sampling lots of fresh local seafood, but have heard that eating grouper can be dangerous. Does it produce a certain allergic reaction? How can you tell if you can or cannot eat grouper?

fiona

susan<BR>I have never heard of this. I have eaten grouper and have had no ill effects. I'm not saying that what you have been told is wtrong though. Would be interested to know the facts as well.

xxx

My husband eats grouper and has not had a problem. I would most certainly address the question to a medical professional if you have concerns. I know some fish eat the coral, which is poisoness, then people eat the fish and then have some problems.

colin

Never heard of Grouper poisoning.Ther was an outbreak of Conch poisoning some years ago,whih was caused by the storage methods-the vendors kept the catch in the harbor,once they had fresh running water the problem was corrected.You can get poisoned by eating Barracuda which is considered to be a delicacy locally,but can be risky if it has not been handled or prepared properly.p.s most of the hotels buy imported seafood from the restaurant supply companies.you will get locally caught seafood at Arawak Cay fish fry and Potters Cay dock.

Robert

There will be no problem eating the grouper. The grouper population throughout the northern Caribbean and Atlantic are dwindling rapidly. They have huge spawning aggregations several times per year in certain locations, and the fishing industry is there to net them in huge numbers. Thus, they can't complete their spawning. I have dove around New Providence often, and in the past decade, have witnessed the Nassau Grouper population grow sparse. So, the fishermen must catch the grouper you eat farther out in the ocean, probably in deep waters. You may want to refrain from eating grouper until the populations are re-established through no-take zones and more controls on netting them during spawning aggregations. How about the snapper? It tastes good. I know it's hard not to order grouper; I had a half plate at Nippers on Abaco, and it literally melted in my mouth! Much different than the aging, frozen grouper eaten here in Ohio, even in plush restaurants. The grouper you eat in the Bahamas was swimming in the ocean that morning, or the day before. Still, please order more abundant fish. Let's get the grouper populations back to useable levels. Robert

j

xxx is on the right track - it's not about cleanliness or freshness - fish in the warmer climates have a diet which includes coral. Coral carries ciguatera poisoning, as the fish eats more coral the ciguatera builds up and *can* get to a level toxic to humans. Barracuda and parrotfish are known for this. As long as the grouper is fairly young (under 36 inches) and not one of those ancient jewfish, your risk is next to nothing. Look at the grain if you can't see the whole fish, if it is smallish, then you know you have a small fish. As Robert points out, grouper are becoming overfished, so big ones are even more scarce. I wouldn't hesitate to eat grouper in the Bahamas. But there's plenty of other fish you can try too - tilefish, amberjack, snapper etc.

Susan

Thanks everyone. I think what I had hear about is what J commented on above. After reading j's post, I did a search for ciguatera and found that occasionally people who eat contaminated fish have numbness, tingling, vomiting, etc.<BR><BR>We will not ask for grouper not just because of the risk for ciguatera, but because it is becoming scarse. We had no idea that grouper was an endangered fish. My husband and I stopped eating orange roughy because of the same reason - they are becoming over fished and it takes them many years to reach sexual maturity to reproduce.<BR><BR>Thank you for your information.

Robert

Susan; The world needs more people like you and your husband. There's plenty of snapper inhabiting the reefs; Nassau restaurants know how to prepare them.Robert

fiona

which just to prove how valuable this forum is! There has been some negative postings about this forum. I will also not be eating grouper the next time I'm away. Anyway I love snapper!!

carole

ive heard about ciguatera poisoning re barracuda but have lived in the west indies for 30 years where barracuda is a very popular food fish and have never heard any cases of ill health from it - maybe because we cook our fish rather more than north americans?? dunno

Ronnie

The fish do contain the toxin. The more fish you eat, the more toxin builds in your body. It takes quite a while for it to get to the point to poison you. At this point you suffer from all sorts of symptoms. Rarely does a person eat fish once and get it. Some fish like barracudaa have been known to do this, but it is rare. Also, the toxin seems to be in the head area and bones of the fish, if a fish is fileted(sp?)and cooked off the bone, the chances are minimal.<BR>Ronnie

Nancy

Once again, Robert and I are on the same wavelength as far as conservation goes.<BR>Thank you, Susan for your sensitivity to a serious worldwide problem re over-fishing.<BR>I carry the below list in my purse to consult to NOT eat the following fish: (They are in imminent danger of disappearing from our waters FOREVER!)<BR>Chilean Sea Bass<BR>Flounder<BR>Orange Roughy<BR>Atlantic Halibut<BR>Red Snapper<BR>Pacific Salmon<BR>Swordfish<BR>A great substitution I have found for the above fish is a farmed fish called Tilapia. It's plentiful, and a delicate white fish similar to Grouper and Chilean Sea Bass. It is found fresh and frozen in many of the better grocery chains.<BR>If you have a Ruby Tuesday's close by, they have a wonderful Tilapia Florentine that will give you a chance to try it. <BR>Thanks to those of you who care enough to try to make a difference on your own

j

There are lots of farm raised seafood available nowadays: mussels, tiger shrimp, Norwegian salmon (farm raised in Maine! how's that for an oxymoron?), catfish, clams, crawfish...of course there are two sides to this idea of not eating popular fish - you are helping the fish but meanwhile hurting the families who make their living fishing. Here in Tampa Bay Florida the old-time fisherman and their families are being shut out due to continually tightening bans on grouper fishing, and guess who is financing this ban? Not the conservationists as you would imagine, but the "sport fishing" industry - the charter boats, the boating industry, and wealthy recreational fishermen who do not want competition for their prize. Alot to think about, and the solutions are not always simple ones.

Danny

The people answering your question don't have any idea of the truth of the matter. The fact is groupers have very large mouths. There have been occasions when they have not been, shall we say, in complete demise when cooked. Upon serving the platter on those occasions it has been reported that fish bites have occurred in alarming numbers. Watch your lips!!!<BR><BR>Danny

Robert

In deference to the fishing industry, the demise of the grouper and efforts to bring back the species to high numbers again is based upon marine biology research...not the sport fishing industry. The Grouper Moon Project conducted by REEF, for example, found that groupers lead interesting lives, especially when it comes to reproduction. Normally solitary and territorial, during the winter full moons they travel, sometimes over great distances, and “group” together to spawn. About fifty of these spawning aggregations sites have been recorded in different places throughout the Caribbean. Historically, once discovered, grouper aggregation sites have become synonymous with fisherman aggregation sites. Due to the timing and site fidelity of the spawning aggregations and the ease with which these relative loners can be caught while congregating by the hundreds and thousands to spawn, one-third to one-half of the known Caribbean aggregation sites are now inactive. The Cayman Islands used to be home to five spawning sites. Today, four of these sites are dormant or depleted. <BR><BR>In the Winter of 2002, a ground breaking expedition to the Cayman Islands - the Grouper Moon Project. The Project’s objectives were to observe the Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus ) spawning aggregation off the western tip of Little Cayman, and to develop a protocol for monitoring their numbers and activity at the site. For two weeks, a team of divers that included five volunteers, staff from the Cayman Islands Department of Environment, and led by REEF’s Field Operations Coordinator, Leslie Whaylen, visited the aggregation site and nearby reefs.<BR> Grouper Moon Collaborators and Sponsors During the Grouper Moon Project, REEF worked in cooperation with the Cayman Islands Department of Environment, the Southern Cross Club, Sam McCoy’s Diving Lodge, and the Coral Reef Alliance. There was also generous support from Peter Hillenbrand, Island Air, the Little Cayman Beach Resort, and Paradise Villas.<BR> There is no doubt that as the mysterious life of the grouper, through research studies is discovered, and critical regulations to keep its populations within healthy numbers are implemented, that long-term benefits to the fishing industry will occur. <BR> These regulations and no-take zones have benefited other species as well; the spiny lobster in northern Exuma, Bahamas has rebounded in huge numbers in an area protected aggressively by game wardens by the BAhamian Govt. Local Bahamians fish for spiny lobster around the periphery of the no-take zone, and catch GREAT numbers of them today, which disperse from the protected area. Tourists in Paradise Island, unknowingly, eat these plentiful lobsters taken from this high-population area. Robert