I landed two Barracuda on Boqueron Beach in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. I decided to do catch and release.
My question was: Can you eat them? Different people, different answers. A little search turned up info on a toxin called Ciguatera, a ciguatoxin in Barracuda and other species that causes major food poisoning and other significant symptoms.
While searching, I also found a great document, produced by the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez that covers just about everything you would want (or not want) to know about parasites in Puerto Rico's offshore big game fish (link below).
I recommend that you check it out if you are a sports fishermen who plans to eat your catch. But remember that ignorance is bliss, and it is not always the best idea to know the background story of everything ending up on your dinner table.
Would you eat a barracuda from Puerto Rican waters, or from anywhere for that matter?
Here is the link to the big game fish parasite guide. Keep in mind it's a 7 MB PDF download that will take a while. I recommend you Right-Click/Save As... the document. If you don't feel like getting into that much detail, at least do a quick read on the Ciguatera link above before eating your Cuda fillet.
Parasites of Offshore Big Game Fishes of Puerto Rico and the Western Atlantic (7 MB, PDF)
The Insider
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