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Testing continues to assess prevalence of ciguatera toxin in lionfish in the Caribbean

February 3rd, 2012

LionfishNews from Cayman about a project to evaluate the risk of ciguatera poisoning associated with lionfish consumption:

A study to determine if Cayman’s lionfish carry the toxin that causes ciguatera poisoning is under way, but so far there have been no reports of humans contracting the illness from eating the invasive species.

Researcher Bill Davin, an associate biology professor at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia, has been examining lionfish samples supplied by the Cayman Islands to see if they contain the naturally occurring toxin.

He has carried out examinations on 20 lionfish from all three islands – 12 from Cayman Brac, two from Little Cayman and six from Grand Cayman.

“Only one of the fish extracts thus far has shown signs of bio-activity, but those levels were relatively low compared to previous research I have done on ciguatoxic fish,” he said.

…

St. Maarten’s Nature Foundation last year recommended lionfish not be eaten based on a study that found ciguatoxins in flesh samples of larger lionfish caught in the island’s waters.

A US Food and Drug Administration study in the Caribbean has also revealed presence of the toxin in the flesh of lionfish.

“To date we have received no official reports of illness associated with the consumption of lionfish, but in endemic areas of ciguatera, toxins have been detected at levels exceeding FDA guidance and therefore could cause illness if consumed,” said Pat El-Hinnawy, an FDA public affairs officer. “The Virgin Islands is one of those areas. We have collected more than 186 fish from the waters around the US Virgin Islands, including St Croix, St. Thomas and St. John, and Puerto Rico. Of these, we have tested 74 fish to date with 26 per cent confirmed to contain ciguatoxins at levels exceeding FDA guidance.

“Our testing continues in this and other regions,” Ms El-Hinnawy said. “These results are consistent with other species of fish that are well known to be ciguatera hazards in endemic areas.”

Mr. Davin said people eating lionfish should use the same precautions they use when eating other Caribbean reef fish that can carry the ciguatera toxin.

“Avoid fish taken from established or known ciguatera hotspots and if a person has already had ciguatera, they should certainly be more careful, since they are certainly at a higher risk of re-intoxification than someone that has never had the disease,” he said.

He added: “While the number of toxic lionfish being reported from St. Thomas and St. Maarten seem high, I have not been able to find a single report of anyone contracting ciguatera from the consumption of lionfish.”

Get more information in the full article from Compass Cayman.

There have been a few other posts on this topic on Green Antilles: Amid concerns about ciguatera poisoning, reassurance that lionfish caught in Bermuda are safe to eat, More data emerges about ciguatera toxin in lionfish, Lionfish and ciguatera risk.

[Photo: Greg Grimes]

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More data emerges about ciguatera toxin in lionfish

November 22nd, 2011

LionfishMore news has come to light to suggest that it may not be a good idea to fight the Caribbean lionfish invasion by eating the critters. The St. Maarten Nature Foundation warns of lionfish-related ciguatera risk:

The Nature Foundation is recommending that the Invasive Lionfish not be eaten or consumed based on a recently concluded study where flesh samples which were taken of larger lionfish caught in St. Maarten waters showed levels of the poisonous ciguatoxin which causes Ciguatera poisoning.

Ciguatera poisoning is caused by naturally occurring toxins, called ciguatoxins, which are produced by microscopic plants – gambierdiscus toxicus – that live on seaweed and other surfaces within coral reef communities.

When fish eat seaweed or algae they consume the organisms and the ciguatoxins build up in the fish’s flesh.

The toxin is stored in the fishes’ body and not excreted – so it builds up as it goes up the food chain.

The bigger fish eat the little fish and the toxin gets passed on until it is consumed by humans. Predators at the top of the food chain – like barracuda and lionfish – can end up with large amounts of the toxin in their flesh.

No test can be done to determine if the fish is poisoned and cooking and preparation have no affect on the toxin. The toxin is unrelated to the venom found in the spines of the Lionfish.

“This is very bad news for us as we were planning on promoting lionfish as an edible, commercially viable fish which we hoped would help in reducing its numbers along the reefs.

However, before we started telling the community that the fish is edible we wanted to be absolutely sure that there were no health care threats associated with eating the fish.

With our partners in the USVI and in the French Islands we tested several samples of lionfish meat and have found that unfortunately an uncomfortably high percentage showed the presence of ciguatoxin in the meat.

Therefore we do not recommend that Lionfish be eaten.

…

Various countries and territories in the Caribbean have been promoting lionfish as edible. However these areas usually do not have a high level of ciguatoxin in their larger reef fish.

The North Eastern Caribbean from Guadeloupe to the Virgin Islands, including St. Maarten, have a higher level of ciguatoxin than most other areas in the Caribbean.

So to be absolutely safe rather than sorry, we unfortunately can not recommend the eating of lionfish as a method for controlling them,” commented Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation Manager.

Read the full article for further details.

Previously on Green Antilles: Lionfish and ciguatera risk.

[Photo: Sean Nash]

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Reef Checking in St. Maarten

November 11th, 2011

Man of War Shoal National Park, St. MaartenTen new volunteers have been trained to conduct Reef Checks in St. Maarten:

On November 5th and 6th a group of ten volunteers attended a Reef Check training course held by the St. Maarten Nature Foundation. Reef Check is a coral reef research method designed to be both simple yet effective in researching the health of both the country’s coral reefs and fish stock population. “One of the main tasks of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation is to conduct research on the health of our Marine Ecosystem. However, because we lack the resources to conduct a wide scale, continuous study we have decided to use Reef Check on St. Maarten using volunteers from within the community” commented Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation Marine Park Manager and Instructor during the Reef Check course. The course involved one day of theory including theoretical exams and one day of practical work involving conducting an actual Reef Check while SCUBA diving on Frenchman’s Reef.

Reef Check is a coral reef monitoring protocol designed to research tropical coral reefs. Reef Check works to create partnerships among community volunteers, government agencies, businesses, universities and other non-profits. The Goals of Reef Check are to: educate the public about the value of reef ecosystems and the current crisis affecting marine life; to create a global network of volunteer teams trained in Reef Check’s scientific methods who regularly monitor and report on reef health; to facilitate collaboration that produces ecologically sound and economically sustainable solutions; and to stimulate local community action to protect remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide.

More information in the complete article from the St. Martin News Network and at the Nature Foundation’s Facebook page. See also: the Reef Check Foundation website.

[Image: via St. Maarten Nature Foundation]

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St. Maarten Nature Foundation starts night patrols to fight shark poaching

November 8th, 2011

Caribbean Reef Shark, St. MaartenThe St. Maarten Nature Foundation is taking steps to make sure that people comply with the new ban on shark fishing:

The Nature Foundation [has] issued a press release about people who are trophy hunting the resident shark population within the Man of War Shoal Marine Park and subsequently killing them.

…

“Sharks have a very high value to the ecology of the island and the island coral reef ecosystem, and they also are a major attraction to visiting dive tourists,” the foundations manager Tadzio Bervoets stated. “The majority of divers who visit the island hope to see a shark while diving.” The Nature Foundation as well as local dive operators are using sharks as a control method for the present lionfish invasion. Over the last weeks less and less sharks are seen, and those that are seen show disturbing signs of considerable damage. One shark was seen with the left side of its face torn away leaving its eye-socket exposed. Another one was seen with its jaw broken open being unable to feed.

“The population have gone from approximately twenty to only two or three that are seen in the locations they are known to frequent,” Bervoets stated.

…

The Nature Foundation has investigated several incidents and has found that the sharks are not being caught by local traditional fishermen; but by sport fishermen who use expensive fishing gear and high powered boats. “These individuals deliberately chum the water to catch and kill the animals, particularly at night. Many reports have been coming into the Nature Foundation office of persons witnessing the killing of sharks, again particularly at night,” Bervoets stated. “Local fishermen are also complaining about these incidents as the sharks are caught and left for dead. On many occasions divers have had to remove hooks and lines attached to the sharks. Many sharks are not able to feed due to the damage caused by these irresponsible fishermen. There is also evidence of fishing for baby sharks.”

…

The Nature Foundation will now initiate night patrols to combat shark fishing.

Read more in articles from Today SXM and AVS News Online. See also: the Nature Foundation’s Facebook page.

Previously on Green Antilles: St. Maarten, The Bahamas ban shark fishing.

[Photo: Vicki Vanderburg via scuba.com]

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New York Times covers sargassum seaweed invasion of the Caribbean

October 13th, 2011

Sargassum seaweed on a beach on the East Coast of BarbadosThe New York Times has published an article about the masses of seaweed that have been washing up on Caribbean beaches:

Aa invasion of seaweed that is extraordinary in volume and geographic scope has been besieging the eastern Caribbean since June, sending resorts and government agencies from Anguilla in the north to Tobago in the south scrambling to rid beaches of the smelly, brown, bug-attracting algae before the impending high season.

In Antigua, the $600-a-night St. James’s Club & Villas was forced to close for the month of September while it removed 10,000 tons of seaweed from its beaches. The weed, a floating species of algae known as Sargassum that inhabits the Sargasso Sea, had completely filled the bay on which the hotel sits and created piles as high as five feet tall on the usually pristine shore. In St. Maarten, swimmers were warned away from some beaches because of fears that they could get tangled in the seaweed and drown. In Barbados, the government installed an oil-containment boom across the mouth of a river on its northeast shore to keep the weed at bay. In Tobago, where for several months workers have been carting the stuff off beaches regularly and trucking it to the dump, the government has been encouraging farmers to use it as fertilizer.

“This is completely unprecedented,” said David Freestone, executive director of the Sargasso Sea Alliance in Washington, which has been fielding reports of unusual quantities of the seaweed washing ashore in places as far-flung as Sierra Leone in West Africa. While small amounts of Sargassum are normally found in the Caribbean from May to September when regional currents and winds transport the floating algae to the islands, such large accumulations across so many regions, he said, has “never happened in living memory.”

Theories as to why range from shifts in ocean currents to climate change to the gulf oil spill. But at least for now, “it’s a mystery,” Mr. Freestone said.

…

There could be environmental fallout as well. Seaweed plays an important role in the Caribbean ecosystem, and such large quantities can have positive and negative effects. Sargassum can help bulk up eroding beaches, for example. But large deposits can also make it difficult for tiny sea turtle hatchlings to find their way to the ocean. “It’s an intrusion on tourism,” said [Jerald Ault, professor of marine biology and fisheries at the University of Miami]. “But the reality is it serves as fertilizer on beaches and it may turn out to be extremely positive for fishery resources,” because the seaweed becomes a refuge and a food source for young fish and other sea creatures.

The big unknown is what happens next year. “The question of whether it was an exception to the rule or representing some sort of regime shift in the way ocean currents are operating is a pretty major question,” said Jeff Ardron, director of the High Seas Program for the Marine Conservation Institute in Washington, who has been tracking the issue. A repeat, he said, could “strongly indicate that something serious is afoot.”

Visit the Times website (registration may be required) for the full article: Where’s the Beach? Under the Seaweed.

Much thanks to Jadira Veen of the St. Maarten Pride Foundation for alerting me to this article.

[Photo: via nationnews.com]

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St. Maarten, The Bahamas ban shark fishing

October 5th, 2011

Caribbean Reef Shark, St. MaartenNews via the St. Maarten Nature Foundation:

Great News to Report: The Honorable Minister Franklin Meyers has just signed the Decree prohibiting the intentional catching and harming of Sharks, Rays and Skates in St. Maarten Territorial Waters! St. Maarten is one of the few countries in the world where shark conservation measures are in effect.

I’ll update this post with further details as they come to hand.

For some reason I didn’t cover this on Green Antilles when it happened, but after a sustained campaign by conservation groups and environmental activists, The Bahamas also banned commercial shark fishing earlier this year.

Have a look at some of the previous Green Antilles posts about sharks and shark conservation in the Caribbean.

[Photo: Vicki Vanderburg via scuba.com]

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International Migratory Bird Day in the Caribbean

September 30th, 2011

International Migratory Bird Day 2011: Go Wild, Go BirdingInternational Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) in the Caribbean is generally celebrated in October; this year the theme is “Go Wild, Go Birding”

In St. Maarten, in keeping with the theme, there are plans for a free guided bird walk and a course in birding:

This Saturday October 1st, the public is encouraged to join EPIC volunteer Ronald Pieters at 8 a.m. at Salines d’Orient (Le Galion) for a free guided Bird Walk to learn more about the species which visit our island and those that stay all year-long. Thanks to a generous donation by Birder’s Exchange, binoculars and spotting scopes will be available but bring your own if you have them. Long pants are suggested. Meet near the Butterfly Farm. This easy walk will be about one hour and can be extended for those wishing to see more.

EPIC will also be offering a free birding course to help nature lovers identify birds in the field by learning the markings and calls of the varied birds that live on or visit Sint Maarten. The focus of the course is to identify the various types of birds and what type of habitat they use, such as wetlands, coastal, scrub and forest. The course will consist of two evenings of presentations on bird basics from 7-9 pm and three field trips to various habitats from 8-10 am on Saturdays.

The Bahamas National Trust is celebrating the day with a Fun Run/Walk:


There are several events, including a birding adventure, planned to mark International Migratory Bird Day in St. Croix:

International Migratory Bird Day 2011 in St. Croix

If you know of any Migratory Bird Day events coming up where you live, please share them in the comments or on the Green Antilles Facebook page.

Previously on Green Antilles: Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival 2011.

[Image via: Environment for the Americas]

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New network of marine protected areas includes Anguilla, Saba, Statia, St. Barths, St. Maarten and St. Martin

September 28th, 2011

Sea turtle in the Man of War Shoals Marine Park, St. MaartenRepresentatives from six Caribbean territories are meeting in St. Martin to launch a new network of marine protected areas:

The Reserve Naturelle organizes the first exchange meeting for marine protected areas of St. Martin, St. Maarten, St. Barths, Anguilla, Saba and Statia. The four-day meeting started [on Monday] with a lunch at the Mercure hotel, where the President of the Reserve Naturelle, Harvey Viotty welcomed the twenty park rangers and mangers from the different islands.

The four-day meet is co-sponsored by Unep, the United Nations environment Program, and Spaw-Rac, a Guadeloupe-based regional action center that aims to implement the protocol concerning specially protected areas and wildlife in the Caribbean. From Dutch St. Maarten, Man of War Shoal Marine Park manager Tadzio Bervoets attends the meeting.

Viotty said that the meeting is the first of its kind whereby representatives from the different islands will be able to exchange ideas and experiences.

Collectivité representative Ogoundele noted that it is time to put in place a form of regional cooperation. “That will help us to build synergy that is beneficial to the protection of our environment,” He said.

…

On Thursday the meeting will conclude with the launch of the marine protected areas network.

Read the original article at Today SXM.

Previous related posts on Green Antilles: St. Maarten gets its first national park, Marine mammal sanctuary to be set up in the French Caribbean, and New network of marine protected areas in the Grenadines.

[Photo: St. Maarten Nature Foundation]

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International Coastal Cleanups in the Caribbean

September 16th, 2011


International Coastal Cleanup Day is coming! In Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis (see also), St. Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Cleanup Day will be Saturday, September 17, 2011.

The St. Lucian Cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, September 24.

Coastal Cleanups in The Bahamas will take place on both the 17th and the 24th of September.

In Barbados, September 17 is Clean Up Barbados day. Cleanup locations include coastal and inland sites. The Coastal Cleanup Day will be Saturday, September 24, and it’s being organised by the Barbados branch of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network.

Follow the links above for more information.

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Caribbean territories represented at European Union climate change workshop

April 15th, 2011

EU building, BrusselsSeveral Caribbean territories were represented at a recent European Union climate change workshop:

The “Islands and Adapting to Climate Change” workshop … was geared towards small islands, addressed challenges and applicable tools that overseas territories can implement to manage climate change adaptation initiatives and strategies.

In attendance were representatives from The Cayman Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaco, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, Wallis & Futuna, Fresh Polynesia, New Caledonia, St. Pierre ET Miquelon, the Falkland Islands and Greenland.

Also in attendance were representatives from the European Commission, the Overseas Countries and Territories Association, (OCTA) the United Kingdom´s Department of International Development (DFID) and the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC).

In an update to the Department of Information and Public Relations on her return to office last week, [the British Virgin Islands] Climate Change Coordinator, Ms. Angela Burnett Penn, highlighted some major items discussed.

“Overseas Countries and Territories are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. The Caribbean overseas territories (OT) of the UK are currently working on a joint climate change declaration to push our agenda,” Burnett Penn reported.

She added that, “Workshop participants agreed that a priority for OTs is the development of a common adaptation strategy on climate change. This would encompass three central pillars which are sustained financing, a local and EU level political strategy and local capacity building.”

For more information read the full article from BVI Platinum News.

[Photo: Anthony V.]

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