SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

Safety is fundamental in fishing, some safety recommendations are:

  • Be well informed about the characteristics of the sea and the area where the activity is to be carried out.
  • Be accompanied or have an acquaintance or relative know the location where you will be fishing.
  • Keep in mind that there are areas on the island where mobile phones do not have signal, especially at sea.
  • Have the necessary water and food for the fishing time.
  • Bear in mind that at any moment we could suffer from dizziness or indisposition, and the place where we are may make it difficult to get help and assistance.
  • Channel 16 is the boat emergency channel and the emergency telephone number is 112.

HEALTH PROTOCOLS: CIGUATERA

What is ciguatera?

Ciguatera is a type of food poisoning caused by a toxin that accumulates in the flesh of some fish. These fish acquire it by ingesting others that feed on algae that have this toxin, which is the reason why, if the animal is large, it is more likely to have high levels of this toxin. In the Canary Islands it is compulsory to carry out a ciguatera concentration test on some species and above certain weights of fish before consumption: (see table).

Common name (Spanish) Scientific name Weight
Medregales Seriola spp. 13 Kg.
Peto Acanthoocybium solandri. 35 Kg.
Pejerry Pomatomus saltatrix. 9 Kg.
Abade Mycteroperca fusca. 12 Kg.
Mero Epinephelus marginatus. 12 Kg.
Picudo Makaira nigricans. 320 Kg.
Pez espada Xiphias glaudius. 320 Kg.

If you catch an animal with these characteristics, this is the protocol to follow

The consumption of ciguatoxin causes gastrointestinal, neurological, circulatory and muscular problems in humans that appear within 8 hours after ingestion.

This toxin cannot be removed from fish by any method, so monitoring for its presence before consumption is essential.

OTHER TOXINS AND FISH MAINTENANCE

Anisakis is a parasite found in fish and shellfish. To eliminate it, it is necessary to freeze the fish at -18ºC for at least 24 hours or cook it above 60ºC, thus eliminating both the live parasites and any larvae. Symptoms of anisakis infection are usually gastric or allergic problems from a few hours after ingestion until 1 week later. Salting, pickling and ceviche processes do not eliminate anisakis.

There are other less common parasites that fish can have. It is important to maintain a good level of refrigeration, try to remove the viscera as soon as possible.