The great barracuda used to be sought after for their meat, but
recently it has been found that the majority of the larger great
barracudas have high amounts of ciguatera fish poisoning, a type of
toxin commonly found in fish. Eating fish with ciguatera causes an
illness that can result in stomach and digestive related problems,
some severe physiological problems including severe headaches,
soreness of the muscles, changes in blood pressure and heart
problems, and sometimes even death. Smaller barracudas can safely
be eaten, but the larger ones often have such high levels of
ciguatera that they are dangerous to eat.
Ciguatera fish poisoning - A form
of human poisoning caused by the consumption of subtropical and
tropical marine fish which have accumulated naturally occurring
toxins through their diet. The toxins are known to originate from
several dinoflagellate (algae) species.
