# Are barracuda safe to eat around here?



## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

We caught a couple cudas yesterday and I can't find whether or not cuda's from this area are safe to eat.


----------



## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Very large ones can carry ciguatera, but I don't think it's too prevelant here in the northern gulf. If it was, then most reef fish would carry it. I.e. snapper, grouper, etc. Should be safe. If you're really worried, there are probably a few testers on here that would try it for ya.


----------



## DLo (Oct 2, 2007)

I've always heard the ones in the northern gulf are good to eat, but google cigutera and decide if you want to take a chance. I wouldn't.


----------



## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

I've eaten them, but its been years. Our whole family ate a 30 pounder when I was a boy, still here. Ten years ago I ate a small one, still here. That said, I don't eat them any more. I do remember it was some damn good eatin. I've read up on the risks now and just can't make myself eat any more of them. It just sounds too scary. Honestly though, I think you'd be perfectly safe eating a small, local cuda.


----------



## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

I've eaten many cudas caught in our area of the Gulf. They are better eating to me than a snapper or AJ. I would say they are safe but you do so at your own risk.

MrFish said what I've tried to tell folks for years. If the cudas have ciguatera, then the other reef fish most likely do too. Any top-of-the-chain predator can carry it. Most cases of ciguatera in the caribbean come from the more popular reef fish like grouper and yellowtail snapper.

Now, if you catch one of the smaller species of inshore barracudas like a Sennet, they are awful to eat and you should give them to me so I can get rid of them for you


----------



## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

A friend of mine got cigutera poisoning from eating a cuda he caught in our area. He stayed extremely sick for over a year.


----------



## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

I don't know about him giving you those fish Chris. Better let me try them first my tolerance might be a little higher. LOL


----------



## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

What would be considered small for a barracuda?


----------



## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

reelthrill said:


> A friend of mine got cigutera poisoning from eating a cuda he caught in our area. He stayed extremely sick for over a year.


He was definitely one of the very unlucky few.

TH, I would say a small one is 30 inches or less.


----------



## ucf_motorcycle (Jul 12, 2008)

I wouldn't eat one...but I won't eat big AJs either. The cigutera test kits aren't reliable either from what I have read.

In the northern gulf its not as much of a risk but I still rather eat the smaller fish.


----------



## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

Chris V said:


> He was definitely one of the very unlucky few.
> 
> TH, I would say a small one is 30 inches or less.


Th AJ in this pic is 35 inches at the fork.


----------



## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Use 'em for bait. Better safe than sorry.


----------



## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

I guess that's what I'll have to do. Too bad, they are some nice fillets. At least I'll have my Amberjack fish n chips tonight to console me.


----------



## Pinksnappertrapper (Dec 7, 2007)

I wouldnt eat them.


----------



## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

Yeah, ciguatera doesn't seem like it would be very pleasant. Keriorrhea was bad enough for me. Never again.


----------



## Magic236 (Oct 1, 2007)

Beware, you eat one, you just might loose your "Trophy Husband" Status


----------



## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

I ain't eatin them..


----------



## sandman770 (Nov 23, 2010)

They should be safe if caught around here, but the symptoms of ciguatera are so bad there's no way I'd risk it. There's not a fence between the northern and southern Gulf to stop a contaminated 'cuda from swimming up here.


----------



## Gonzo (Sep 17, 2010)

I grew up in the carribbean, St.Croix, the U.S. Virgin Islands and have eaten barracuda all my life. Many people that I knew grew up eating them. I ate them when I lived in California as well. 
I have never heard of anyone getting sick from eating barracuda. I can't find my book, but if you look it up, and if I recall correctly, it was listed as food source "Excellent" just like Red Snapper and Grouper. As was stated earlier, any reef fish that eats other reef fish etc can get ciguatera. That includes red snapper and grouper. I know of someone locally that got ciguatera from a local grouper. 

The only thing we did in the islands was not eat the large ones. What is large? Well, that's relative as well, for me, I would eat them if they were about 36 inches and smaller. I, like one other mentioned, would eat barracuda before an AmberJack regardless of size. Barracuda is a very white, clean meat with no dark veins etc. Here is what is stated in Wikipedia: 

 "Barracudas are popular both as food and game fish. They are most often eaten as fillets or steaks. Larger species, like the Great Barracuda, have been implicated in cases of ciguatera food poisoning"

This is from the food dictionary at Epicurious.com: “The type most commonly found in American markets is the *Pacific barracuda* (also called *California barracuda*), which usually ranges from 4 to 8 pounds. It's a firm-textured fish with a moderate fat content and is best grilled or broiled. Barracuda can be substituted for WAHOO or MAHI MAHI. The *great barracuda*, whose flesh is often toxic, can weigh over 100 pounds and can exceed 6 feet in length.

So, as you can see above, when some people think they are getting Wahoo or Mahi Mahi, they may be getting Barracuda. I guess it’s like what happened locally, we all thought we were getting Grouper nuggets and it was “Swai” fish aka Catfish!! Ha!



I caught one about three months ago, ate some, plus gave it to several of my friends and they all really liked it. 

It's just like Mullet. Some really love to eat them, other consider it bait fish. When I was growing up, I threw every single Trigger fish I caught back into the water. It was considered a trash fish. I learned something new when I moved here. Now, there is not a single legal triggerfish going back in the water. 

Guess it's all relative isn't it?

Cheers, and Happy New Year to all!


----------



## Knockdown (Oct 26, 2008)

Cuda's in Pcola area are fine to eat. Meat is sweet and flaky. Like other fish, when over 25 #, they loose food value. Freezing drys the meat out though. Try it, and you'll like it, once you get over their gut smell. I gut them before putting over ice.


----------



## biminitwist (Dec 5, 2008)

When I lived in the Keys, the local's rule of thumb was "Longer than your arm will do you harm," and I ate a lot of them up to about the size you caught. They just stink like needlefish when you clean them. Any larger than that and they were shark bait. The ones you caught up here should be fine. 

I have a good friend who is a charter boat captain down there and he won't eat any amberjack of any size for the same reason. He had a good friend of his get hit with the C-toxin from just one small piece of an AJ. 

Hope this helps,

BT


----------



## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

biminitwist said:


> When I lived in the Keys, the local's rule of thumb was "Longer than your arm will do you harm," and I ate a lot of them up to about the size you caught. They just stink like needlefish when you clean them. Any larger than that and they were shark bait.  The ones you caught up here should be fine.
> 
> I have a good friend who is a charter boat captain down there and he won't eat any amberjack of any size for the same reason. He had a good friend of his get hit with the C-toxin from just one small piece of an AJ.
> 
> ...


I took the fillets out to sea today and traded them for an AJ. These cudas did not stink though.


----------



## Duke S (Nov 26, 2011)

There were a couple of people put in the hospital a few years ago over Destin or Panama City for ciguatera from a cuda. The algae that produces the toxin is tropical only, but there is always a chance fish from down south will move up this way, though it would be rare. The one time I've been tuna fishing we had a guy on board who traded his share of wahoo for the one cuda we caught, liked it that much. Just stay away from the big ones, they may also be full of mercury and other toxins.


----------



## gator7_5 (Oct 4, 2007)

Good god, those things smell so bad I can't imagine tainting a clean cooler with one.


----------



## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

gator7_5 said:


> Good god, those things smell so bad I can't imagine tainting a clean cooler with one.


What part of them smells? We gilled and gutted them as soon as we caught them and they rode in the fish box the rest of the day. We filleted them when we got back to the dock and never smelled a thing.


----------



## DreamWeaver21 (Oct 3, 2007)

gator7_5 said:


> Good god, those things smell so bad I can't imagine tainting a clean cooler with one.


X2. I can smell them while they are in the water. I don't even bring their stinking asses on the boat.


----------



## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

We landed one on my boat. The fight was so lame, it made me wonder. Seconds after it hit the deck, it smelled awful.
I'm curious to try one, but not with the uncertainty.

Did they put up a fight?


----------



## Trophyhusband (Nov 30, 2011)

They put up an ok fight.


----------



## WW2 (Sep 28, 2007)

Any fish that eats another fish is capable of having c-toxin. It's not specific to just Cudas. I think the fear of cuda is silly. Some people are scared of the dark. I am not sure what causes some of them to stink but to me it's a very metallic smell. Once you gut them and clean them and have them on the grill you won't smell a thing and you will wish you have kept every one you ever caught. That being said it is possible they contain c-toxin and you have to decide for yourself about the risk. Hell, lots of people here eat so much fish they are probably more likely to be affected by the mercury level than the c-toxin.


----------



## lastcast (Oct 12, 2007)

Here's a good read on Ciguatera.
http://www.caribbeancompass.com/ciguafinish.html


----------

