I have never worked on a commercial vessel but I did live in the Florida Keys and on My sailboat all around the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Three things that I was taught. Never eat Barracuda or similar reef predators. Stay away from larger(older) reef fish as they are the ones most likely to get You in trouble. Never fish in ports. Thank You for Your great information.

@89.

Ай бұрын

my friend ate a Barracuda and contracted the Shiguera Coli toxin. Unfortunately he was in the South Atlantic ocean and help could not arrive in time.

@bluedragontoybash2463

Ай бұрын

thank you for the information.

@volvo09

29 күн бұрын

​@@89. Oh no 😳

@LM-oi3sf

24 күн бұрын

Why not?

@volvo09

24 күн бұрын

@@LM-oi3sf did you watch the video? A deadly sickness that can collect in certain tropical fish.

Thank you Chief. We find you telling stories very enjoyable too.

@ChiefMAKOi

Ай бұрын

Thanks for listening.

In Capricornia Qld Australia we were brought up knowing Ciguatera as "Big Fish Poison". Any top-of-the-food chain fish can carry it, but big full sized adults were especially suspect. Our fish markets will not buy produce over a certain size. Our folk tale was you feed a sample to a cat. If the cat refused or got sick the meat had Ciguatera - cats were sensitive to the poison.

As a retired seafarer, we had near fatal incident when we ate contaminated fish. Our trade route is US and the Carribbean. Thanks for your stories, it brings back notable memories. God Bless

While we were anchored on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Mexico, a ship mate caught a barracuda and the chief cook (a Philipino) cooked it, delicious, nobody got sick. We ate the fish we caught in several ports throughout the world, it was alway a treat for us when we could eat fresh fish. I never knew about the danger at that time, this was many years ago. Love your videos, keep up the good work.

In Puerto Rico we have this problem on aa frequent basis. I remember a story where the health department had issued a warning for Ciguatera and were doing restaurant inspections to see if the restaurants were following the law. On one such restaurant they found fish that were temporarily banned and informed the owner of the business . He was mad at the health inspector and to prove they were wrong cooked and ate one of these fish. He was dead by the time evening came. Don’t ignore this health hazard.

@trucid2

Ай бұрын

That sounds like a story made up to scare people. It's too on the nose.

In Jamaica they test the fish by putting it outside in the sun. If flies pitch on it, it's good to go 😁👍😁

About 12 or 14 years ago while i was living on St. Thomas usvi. We have raging cigutara in most fish. Had a cargo ship come through and catch a barracuda. 13 crew were airlifted. I believe 1 died but not sure. Anyway we call it fish poisoning and there is no cure. You get it, and those toxins are yours for life.

Ciguatera poisoning is a result of eating contaminated reef fish (grouper, barracuda, moray eel, sea bass, lemonfish, red snapper, etc.). The fish become contaminated when they ingest small marine organisms (dinoflagellates) that grow on coral reefs and produce "ciguatoxin". Some of the characteristics described for fish that are supposedly ciguatoxic are as follows: • Loose scales: The scales of ciguatoxic fish are often loose and easily fall off. • Weak fight: Ciguatoxic fish are often weak and put up little resistance when caught. • Purple teeth: The teeth of ciguatoxic fish are often purple or dark in color. • Thin head: Ciguatoxic fish often have a thin or pointed head. • Lean and bloody body: Ciguatoxic fish are often lean and have a bloody flesh. • Dies immediately after capture: Ciguatoxic fish often die immediately after being caught. It is important to note that these are not definitive signs of ciguatera poisoning and that not all fish with these characteristics will be ciguatoxic. The only way to know for sure if a fish is ciguatoxic is to have it tested by a qualified laboratory. Here are some additional things to keep in mind: Ciguatera poisoning can occur from eating any type of reef fish, but it is more common in certain species, such as barracuda, jack, snapper, and grouper. Ciguatera poisoning is most common in tropical and subtropical regions, but it can also occur in temperate regions. There is no cure for ciguatera poisoning, but the symptoms can be treated with medication. The best way to prevent ciguatera poisoning is to avoid eating fish that are known to be ciguatoxic.

@The_Modeling_Underdog

Ай бұрын

This comment needs to be pinned. Thanks, mate.

@georgehelliar

Ай бұрын

I also heard that it accumulates over time, so larger fish are riskier. I'm happy to eat small barracuda etc, but avoid larger ones, especially things like massive groupers

@luiskp7173

Ай бұрын

Thanks for your comment, but I have to disagree on Red Snapper. True Red Snappers are not high risk for Ciguatera, but when they are substituted with lookalikes like Blackfin Snapper.

@manosparavida3551

Ай бұрын

Thank you for some essential and invaluable advice.

@pervertt

Ай бұрын

I'd have to respectfuly disagree. There is no way of visually identifying a fish with ciguatera toxins apart from inclusion in species known to carry the toxin. A barracuda with the toxin will look and taste exactly like another without it. I grew up in the Pacific where there are many old wives tales about testing for the presence of toxins. None of them work. The only sure way is to avoid eating suspect species, especially body parts like the fish head where toxins are known to accummulate. These toxins also accumulate in your body, so 2 individuals may have different reactions to eating the same fish dish. A person who already carries enough toxins (just below the threshold level) can be sickened by just one more serving of fish, while another person who has no toxins in his body may be unaffected.

My wife and I both got ciguatera poisoning in Aitutaki Rarotonga. Gastric symptoms to start but a crazy symptom where a cold beer from the fridge felt it was burning yours hands. A mild case I guess but took 3 months the to come right.

I remember being 2nd mate on a product tanker working the carribbean and I'm remember a ship from another company where all or nearly all the crew became sick from eating fish and our company put out memos about it and we had to discuss it at the next safety meeting

👍😎👍 Thank you chief for for your time.

Thank you Chief - Great to have this kind of presentation again - Informative, educational, interesting and a good watch.

this kind of poisoning is terrifying. thanks for talking about this

When I was living in S Florida every so often you'd hear about someone eating fish infected with ciguatera. Was, like you said, mainly with reef fish or from the fish that eats the reef feeding fish.

@mcpr5971

Ай бұрын

There is an episode of Forensic Files where a Floridan caught it and died.

Love your videos, and especially like the stories you tell. When I was growing up I lived on Galveston Bay near Houston Texas near the Houston ship channel. The biggest watercraft I've ever been on (except for the Battleship Texas museum ship) was my dad's 16-ft wooden sailboat which he built himself. I spent many days on the bay in that boat. As kids we would watch the big ships come up the Houston ship channel and always wave to the crew and they would wave back at us. I always wondered what it was like to work aboard those ships and now I know. Keep up the good work, your videos really add something to my life and I can tell your love of making them, it really shows through.

This was fascinating!! I had no idea! Thank you Chief. Please keep posting in this series - the Storytelling is very entertaining! (And we can't watch only videos of you bragging about your big piston!)

@ChiefMAKOi

Ай бұрын

😂

I always enjoy your videos. Thanks for your stories and facts. 👍👍👏👏

Greetings from Australia. I sail on a large bulker through the great barrier reef area on a set route. Some of the crew regularly fish whilst at anchor. Nobody has ever worried about licences. The company has banned the serving of caught fish to the crew due to the risk of ciguatera but said fish is still served up to the crew. Fortunately no problems yet. Love your videos.

I live in Qld Australia. There are a lot of very nice eating fish off our shores. But as you say you never quite know what you are getting. These warm waters are home to the algae responsible for the build up of this toxin. And it can be found in many fish varieties. Fortunately most cases in humans are more mild. Death rate is quite low. But definitely something you don't want to get. Especially on a ship in the middle of nowhere.

I served in the french navy in New Caledonia . The only fishes from the lagoon that we kept to eat were long noses emperors . Everything else was considered contaminated by ciguatera (gratte in french in this area ) .

In the US, most of the fishing permits are controlled by the state whose waters you're in. I know in my state (NY), you can get licenses for limited periods, and, in a seafarer's case, get the marine fishing permit as well. It can even be done online. One of the reasons for the restrictions is to keep fish populations sustainable.

@tippyc2

9 күн бұрын

CA also had a 3-day fishing license you can buy if you're visiting. I imagine that must still exist.

Thanks for telling that. Ciguatera poisoning - first I've heard of it.

@renatobrito6138

16 күн бұрын

Me too. Until i became a victim of it. Luckily we survived. But hospitalized. Half of the crew.

This was very informative and enjoyable! I greatly appreciate your channel and your perspective.

As always, thank you Chief

Fishing in Saudi Arabia also prohibited, the reason was indicated in the nautical publications as : "all fish and birds are the property of the King." It was 15 years ago when my ship visited port of Jeddah.

@brucefranklinjr.8543

Ай бұрын

Never a better reason to do it then lol

@et4615

Ай бұрын

😂​@@brucefranklinjr.8543

@Mark-vf8op

Ай бұрын

Instand monopoly on the fishing and wildlife industry…..

@jonathanmendoza742

Ай бұрын

They live 12th century ago....very awkward civilization...culture is obsolete now they making new NEOM project a huge high tech community and a mirror line a 75 mile long but they short of funds need help from EU.

@johnwong5317

Ай бұрын

Chinese Illegal Fishing Fleet: "All the fishes belong to us since ANCIENT TIMES".

If my merchant marine father and uncle were still alive they would be watchng your videos. So, I do, as it reminds me that would be having a long conversation about their stories on this very subject sailing from the period of WWII into the 1970s. Thanks.

Never knew about Ciguatera.. new fear unlocked

Thanks for an interesting story, Chief. Glad your friends / shipmates survived. I look forward to more of your stories.

Looking forward to some more short stories like this along the more, recreational or personal side of ship life!

Thank you Chief. Your videos are always appreciated

Thank you for posting all of the interesting informative videos Chief

Thank you for Story Time! I love stories.

Love the Nuka Cola sign behind you Chief, nice!

Thanks Chief for this very important story. I had no idea about this kind of illness nor the types of fish that carry it. Thanks for sharing this.

Thanks for the good info

Enjoyed your stories about fish at sea. I'm a U.S Navy vet and was lucky to serve with several fishing nuts on our combat ships. The guys would regularly fish at sea when we were on patrol. I LOVED eating fresh fish. When you are stuck at sea for months at a time, never even seeing land, fresh fish is SO GOOD! None of us ever had problems with the fish they caught. Glad your friends recovered! I really enjoy your video work. I would really love more personal perspectives from the other crew members. What's their names, what do they do, how long have they been in the merchant marines? Thanks again. You have become something like an old friend to this old veteran. And yes, I DO miss visiting the Philippines! Wishing you and your crews the best of luck.

Thank you Chief for another informative presentation. Also again for your insight into the Dali crash in Baltimore. I am sure we all are awaiting a final determination of cause for that situation.

Very informative chief Makoi, proud to be Pinoy

It was a dark and stormy night. The Captain turned to the Chief Engineer and said, "tell me a story..."

@ChiefMAKOi

Ай бұрын

😊

What an absolute treat. Ty ever so much for the interesting story 👍🇨🇦

I am retired from the USAF, which makes me a “Landlubber”. I had never heard about the toxin you mentioned. Very interesting, salamat po!

So glad you’re back at it Chief!

I remember an episode some years ago when a crew on a Stolt-Nilsen vessel fished for barracuda when they bunked off St.Eustasius. Most of the crew got ill and if I remember correctly 16 of a crew of 24 were airlifted to hospital for emergency treatment. I don’t remember if any died but some of them got liver damages that will follow them the rest of their lives.

Really interesting. I learned something today! Thanks Chief!

I like your short stories and your delivery is perfect Please keep them coming

That seaplane. That's a Shin Maywa US-2. That's a JMSDF bird. They sent a Navy aircraft to pick him up.

Its nice to see you back in my feed after 2 years. 😃😳😋

*_If I were to work on a ship at sea I think Id take cows with me. Nothing beats steak, brisket and short rib while at sea._*

@onsecondthought4174

Ай бұрын

Steak for me.

@tragicrequiem

Ай бұрын

To be be honest there is a risk in eating cows whether you catch them yourself or if you buy them from the grocery store. Apparently there are certain areas wherein the cows are contaminated with certain toxins like cigue... oh wait... Mad Cow Disease, these toxins are undetectable by sight or by smell and cannot be eliminated by freezing or cooking, they are pretty harmful to cows and are fatal to humans (sorry to the Chief for ripping 90% of your spiel off)

Thank you Chief. Respect and best wishes sent.

Well done....thank you Chief

While frightening, I thoroughly enjoyed receiving this information and the stories related to it. Thanks Chief MAKOi, I'll be off fish for awhile !

I love your stories! no matter what you're talking about. I always wish they were longer lol. hope you're doing well. I'm glad you talked about this, I visit my son in St. Croix regularly and we love to fish. fortunately, we've never gotten sick but it's good to know.

Thanks for the heads up Chief!

Thumbs up! In for more stories!

Love your content. The stories are a great way to grow your Channel. God bless.

thank you very informative

Thank you Chief. We enjoy your awesome videos so much. Interesting and informative with a touch of humor. Look forward to the next video. Stay safe. Blessings. Sherry 🥰 🙏 🚢 ⚓

@verpacas2374

Ай бұрын

Chief is it true that there are ghost ships? And if there's any, have you encountered one?

Thanks for the info, I didn’t even know about this illness! Also interesting to hear about fishing on the big ships. 🙌

Good information

@ChiefMAKOi

Ай бұрын

Thanks!

In the 80's an Italian flagged vessel anchored off of Key West where the crew caught a large Barracuda and cooked it. Not a good move as the entire ships compliment ended up being flown to hospital in Miami and the ship was anchored off shore for about a month before the owners could get another crew to carry on to their destination. Complications from ciguatera are known to last up to and beyond 25 years. After studying about the malady I found that the symptoms could be reduced with IV's containing mannitol.

Thanks Chief Makoi. I never know that about fish. Thanks for the show From New York

Glad you are back on the line sir! 💖

I’ve had ciguteura too but only mild - I caught a large old mangrove jack near Fraser Island (Queensland, Australia) and took it home and we ate it An hour later we all started getting pins and needles in hand and feet, headache and mild nausea Went to doctor next day and they took a blood test which confirmed we had a mild dose. This was in 1995. 17 years later I went on a fishing charter in Cairns, QLD and caught an average sized Coral Trout - I tool it back to my holiday apartment and cooked it and guess what, I got what’s called “rebooted ciguteura” What happens is the body detects only small amounts of the toxin in the fish and your immune system goes crazy because it thinks it’s another attack But that ended by the next days The think to do is always avoid big and old reef fish. It doesn’t affect pelagic fish, only reef dwelling fish. And never ever eat red bass.

A very informative and interesting video. Thank you Chief for sharing your experiences. Please keep doing more podcasts in the future.

Very scary situation. Even worse is , imagine going to a hospital somewhere, where they are unfamiliar with this type of poisoning and mis-diagnose it. Anyway, I've worked at the Port of Durban for years. And when you board about 90% of the vessels. You will smell fresh fish frying.

Thanks for the info. Very helpful!

Very interesting, Chief. I was completely unaware of this issue, or that it affected such huge areas of the ocean. I guess it’s good that they can at least narrow down the sources to a few types of fish. Thank God everyone involved survived.

Thank you Chief and have a good voyage!

That story about the crew affected by the toxic fish is scary! I have visions of the entire crew being taken out by a particularly nasty batch of fish resulting in a ghost ship sailing with a dead or incapacitated crew. Like something out of a horror movie.

@Gordon_L

Ай бұрын

That's why the flight crew on airliners eat different meals , so someone is healthy to land the plane in case of food poisoning.

LOVE your videos and expertise!

As always, very informative...love your videos

Thank you for sharing this story

Very informative thanks

Glad to see your back on the air. I enjoy your videos and topics!

I really enjoyed this video👍 thank you Chief Makoi

Great video Chief. I've never heard of this. Next time I go to Long John Silver, I better watch out what I eat. LOL!

I worked mostly on research ships and we did a lot of long line fishing. With captain's permission we'd slow to about 9 kts and put out the long lines. We caught Mahi and Ahi tuna. The risks of those are mainly parasites. So eating them as poke is a risk but cooking will kill parasites.

Great Post Chief! Cant wait to hear more!

Thanks, Chief! Fair winds, calm seas!

Great entertainment Chief.

I grew up in Connecticut, and we used to go fishing in the ocean. Anytime we went fishing in saltwater, we didn't need a permit or license.

I worked as an observer aboard fishing vessels. Tuna seiners in the Eastern Tropical Pacific and various type of fishing boats in Alaskan and continental US west coast waters. All areas where ciguatera doesn't exist. We'd eat fish that were caught in the bycatch and sometimes we'd fish with poles when we were drifting. Tuna, particularly skipjack and sometimes yellowfin tuna will congregate around floating objects, like logs, cable spools, even dead whales. If we saw such an item we'd circle around it for a while to see if it had attracted enough tuna to make it worthwhile to set the net. Generally there was either nothing or there was mahi-mahi (dolphin fish) and perhaps some wahoo and only a few tuna. To figure out whether there was tuna, everyone would grab a fishing pole and using nothing but big spoon lures and cast away while the boat circled around the floating object. When there was mahi-mahi it was wild and tons of fun, everyone would be hauling mahi-mahi up as fast as they could cast, get them on deck and cast again. The best fish to eat on tuna boats, were small yellowfin tuna prepared as sashimi or the belly meat from bigger ones wrapped in bacon and barbecued. Also barbecued wahoo and mahi-mahi was excellent. In Alaskan and west coast waters we'd eat a variety of fish, I particularly liked black cod, skate wings and pollack roe. Salmon and halibut were prohibited species though, and if they showed up in the bycatch they had to go overboard immediately so we never ate them.

The poisoning of a crew member brings up the question of health and trauma care on a ship. I would like to see a video on health and trauma care on board a ship. - facilities - training - etc.

@bakerbill4274

Ай бұрын

It's not pretty. It's usually a guy that took a one week class, and is on the phone with a doctor talking him through the procedure.

ive never heard of ciguatera ever before, thank you chief

Great content as always. Be safe, and God bless.🙏

Woah, on this episode of CHEF MAKOi!! Thank you for the informative content!

Interesting topic, keep them coming Chief.

that is a good to know information, thanks chief makoi

Thanks, Chief!

Good topic chief!

Thank you for good information chief makoi

This channel and What’s going on with shipping are a must!

Love your videos Chief.

Fantastically informative episode. 1st time I'd ever heard of Signatuaira. Full marks Chief. Mick London

"HONEY WAKE UP, CHIEF JUST UPLOADED A NEW VIDEO!" Always appreciate the knowledge I learn from your videos, thanks for all ya do Brother!

Who knew??! Great topic!

I love learning about the practical considerations for the crew that make their lives on the sea a little easier. Fishing, the episode on desalinization, stuff like that. It's also nice getting these glimpses into Philippine culture.

Great vlog as always! I have never heard of this even. Here in Scandinavia we have a rule of thumb, but it is not followed as much. Try to avoid eating fresh fish in the months without the letter R. It might be some parasites in the fish, but the die when you boil or freeze the fish. Keep up the good work. Be safe my friend.

Your channel is always a treasure trove of information, Chief. Thanks for sharing. P.S.: You know the thing is deadly serious when the Japanese launch one of their Shin-Meiwa flying boats for a rescue mission.