Poisonous Fish
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Poisonous fish are fish that are poisonous to eat. They contain
toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated. The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919), derived ...
s which are not destroyed by the digestive systems of animals that eat the fish.Poisonous vs. Venomous fish: What’s the difference?
Reef Biosearch. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
Venomous fish Venomous fish are species of fish which produce strong mixtures of toxins harmful to humans (called venom) which they deliberately deliver by means of a bite, sting, or stab, resulting in an envenomation. As a contrast, poisonous fish also pr ...
also contain toxins, but do not necessarily cause poisoning if they are eaten, since the digestive system often destroys their venom.


Examples

*Species of
puffer fish Tetraodontidae is a family of marine and freshwater fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, ...
(the family
Tetraodontidae Tetraodontidae is a family of marine and freshwater fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, ...
) are the most poisonous in the world, and the second most poisonous vertebrate after the golden dart frog. The active substance,
tetrodotoxin Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent neurotoxin. Its name derives from Tetraodontiformes, an Order (biology), order that includes Tetraodontidae, pufferfish, porcupinefish, ocean sunfish, and triggerfish; several of these species carry the toxin. Alt ...
, found in the internal organs and sometimes also the skin, paralyzes the diaphragm muscles of human victims, who can die from suffocation. In Japan, skilled chefs use parts of a closely related species, the
blowfish Tetraodontidae is a family of marine and freshwater fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, ...
to create a delicacy called "
fugu Fugu (; ; ) in Japanese language, Japanese, ''bogeo'' (; 鰒魚) or ''bok'' () in Korean language, Korean, and ''hétún'' () in Standard Modern Chinese refers to tetraodontidae, pufferfish, normally of the genus ''Takifugu'', ''Lagocephalus'', o ...
". *The spotted trunkfish is a
coral reef fish Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds ...
that secretes a colourless
ciguatera Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating tropical reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, numbness ...
toxin from glands on its skin when touched. The toxin is only dangerous when ingested, and poses no immediate harm to divers. However, predators as large as nurse sharks can die as a result of eating a trunkfish. *Many eel-like fish of the order
Anguilliformes Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order (biology), order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 Family (biology), families, 164 genus, genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the earl ...
have toxic proteins in their blood which has to be destroyed with heat before eating. Moray eels also produce toxic mucus, and can store toxins in their flesh and organs. The
giant moray The giant moray (''Gymnothorax javanicus'') is a species of moray eel and a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae. In terms of body mass, it is the largest moray eel; however, the slender giant moray is the largest in terms of body leng ...
is a
reef fish Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds ...
at the top of the
food chain A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web, often starting with an autotroph (such as grass or algae), also called a producer, and typically ending at an apex predator (such as grizzly bears or killer whales), detritivore (such as ...
. Like many other apex reef fish, it is likely to cause
ciguatera Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating tropical reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, numbness ...
poisoning if eaten. Outbreaks of ciguatera poisoning in the 11th to 15th centuries from large, carnivorous reef fish, caused by
harmful algal blooms A harmful algal bloom (HAB), or excessive algae growth, sometimes called a red tide in marine environments, is an algal bloom that causes negative impacts to other organisms by production of natural algae-produced toxins, water deoxygenation, ...
, could be a reason why
Polynesia Polynesia ( , ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are called Polynesians. They have many things in ...
ns migrated to
Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, and possibly
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
.Voyages of discovery or necessity? Fish poisoning may be why Polynesians left paradise
'' PhysOrg.com'', 18 May 2009.
File:Lactophrys bicaudalis.jpg, The spotted trunkfish is a
coral reef fish Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds ...
which secretes a
ciguatera Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating tropical reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, numbness ...
toxin from glands on its skin as a form of self defense. File:G.Javanicus8.jpg, The
giant moray The giant moray (''Gymnothorax javanicus'') is a species of moray eel and a species of marine fish in the family Muraenidae. In terms of body mass, it is the largest moray eel; however, the slender giant moray is the largest in terms of body leng ...
, a coral reef fish at the top of the
food chain A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web, often starting with an autotroph (such as grass or algae), also called a producer, and typically ending at an apex predator (such as grizzly bears or killer whales), detritivore (such as ...
is also likely to cause
ciguatera poisoning Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating tropical reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, numbness, ...
if eaten.


See also

*
Aquatic toxicology Aquatic toxicology is the study of the effects of manufactured chemicals and other anthropogenic and natural materials and activities on aquatic organisms at various levels of organization, from subcellular through individual organisms to commu ...
*
Ciguatera Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating tropical reef fish contaminated with ciguatoxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, numbness ...
*
Haff disease Haff may refer to: People * Carroll Barse Haff (1892–1947), American track and field athlete who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics *Bergljot Hobæk Haff Bergljot Hobæk Haff (1 May 1925 – 12 February 2016) was a Norwegian educator and no ...
*
Hallucinogenic fish Several species of fish are claimed to produce hallucinogenic effects when consumed, a condition known as '' ichthyoallyeinotoxism''. For example, '' Sarpa salpa'', a species of sea bream referred to as the "dream-fish", is commonly claimed to ...
*
Ichthyoallyeinotoxism Ichthyoallyeinotoxism, or hallucinogenic fish inebriation, comes from eating certain species of fish found in several parts of the tropics, the effects of which are reputed to be similar in some aspects to LSD. Experiences may include vivid auditor ...
*
Salmon poisoning disease ''Neorickettsia helminthoeca'' is a bacterium in the '' Neorickettsia'' genus that causes salmon poisoning disease. Salmon poisoning disease Salmon poisoning disease (SPD) is a fatal disease of dogs and other canids caused by a rickettsial bac ...
*
Scombroid food poisoning Scombroid food poisoning, also known as simply scombroid, is a foodborne illness that typically results from eating spoiled fish. Symptoms may include flushed skin, sweating, headache, itchiness, blurred vision, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. ...
*
Venomous fish Venomous fish are species of fish which produce strong mixtures of toxins harmful to humans (called venom) which they deliberately deliver by means of a bite, sting, or stab, resulting in an envenomation. As a contrast, poisonous fish also pr ...


References


External links

* {{diversity of fish
fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
Fish by adaptation