Well, retired #003 is still not 100% after that little run in I had with neurology a couple weeks ago. My balance is just poor. Although I walk , fish and proceed with life I sometimes simply walk crooked, start veering off kinda . So I've found some exercises and MP is helping me to get back to normal, if there's a such thing at my age. For me the weirdest part is that it's shaking this iron confidence I've had my whole life. The day I was wallowing around on the beach was just soooo miserable that I'm kinda reluctant...I'll even use the word ' scared ' to go to far afield alone . I wonder what would happen if I couldn't walk home of get on a bus or....it bothers me. As I type our friend Donna is dealing with an episode of Vertigo and I've been through that a bit back when I was in the boat thousands of hours but this is not that. In the day Dr. Zuril diagnosed with the most common type of Vertigo B.P.P.V. , benign proximal positional vertigo. I would be actually dizzy and learned to stop the spinning by bringing it on by tilting my head to the sky, the more it happened the more it would fatigue . Now I just have poor balance . Like everything else, I just gotta move forward and for the time being I'm trying not to be that loner that I really am and stay around other people just in case.....does this guy look scared to you ?
We were at the market buying shrimp for MP and this was new stall we had not seen and decided we'd use them, the stuff looked and smelled so fresh. Well it turns out that we were their first customers ever, very cool...VASA Seafoods in the South East corner of Pino Suarez Market @ # B 14 .
The water is cooling off now and we're starting to see and catch fish . This Toro here came to a topwater and was just about all my medium sized outfit could do . Surf fishing the critical moment is when the fish finally goes dry. Ideally it's when just the right wave rides it up the beach so if the extra tension causes a line failure or a dehooking you have a second to run down between waves and grab him before he regains his freedom....and that's how it went this time.
My old friend Alejandro is not fishing as much and comes to the Playa on weekends . But you know me I always find the best people and I've been fishing with this man for weeks now and it's so weird, wonderfully weird. He has no english as poor as my Spanish is it's better than his English. We never use the translator and as I type this I realize I don't know his name . He like me and I like him, it's the human language we both speak fluently, my new friend . And that would be the cutest little Roosterfish you've ever seen that he's got .
On Sunday I fished during halftime like I usually do and lucked into a nice red one for him to take home and for comida . He said it was just right to cook entero just like we'd have at Loco's before my Ciguatera got so bad...man I miss that deep fried fish.
You know me , I gotta know all things fish. While we were getting MP's ocean fresh shrimp one of the stalls had Corvina, huge yellow tail Corvina caught in the Marmol area. Now I see the panga drivers sport catches all the time and never have I seen a catch like this from those boats....in fact the closes catch I've ever seen had to of been us fishing from the rocks north of Marmol when we'd have maybe 10 Corvina of which maybe 2 were like these.
On Sunday we do our hand holder hike, the ' up and over ' from the Faro into Olas Altas, 10 miles from the southern Bureau of Mile 14 . I never get tired of this hike and I hope to do it until I'm an old man , ya gotta have goals ya know.
Even a thumb on the lense can't spoil these vista's eh ? I'm a lucky man. Esa uno suerte para mi poder estar aqui y hacer esto .
I think I reported on my musical progress when I Mile 14ed the Jason Isbell song Speed Trap Town. Well I promised you a new song and it's a work still in progress but me and MPeasy recorded a new song by Jason last night. I'm really enjoying the challenge of drop tunings and learning to sing in different keys. I fumble a lyric or two...tha's how it goes with homemade . Merry Christmas everyone !
I named this post that so if anybody were to Google that and then find this blog and it helps them I would be very gratified. If even one person finds this and because of it avoids the horrible health effects that I've had I would feel wonderful...AND, it wasn't really my idea. Years ago when I first began to think I might be suffering from this fish toxin I googled and found a blog of a Fishing Guide in Australia who's age, work and lifestyle mirrored mine and he suffered terribly form Ciguterra for years . So here goes .
That Robalo there is about the finest eating you fish you can catch here in Mazatlan. I caught that fish right there at low tide about 2:00 pm Sunday and filleted it and cleaned it immediately taking special care to get ALL the red and blood out of the fillet. MP fried it in batter as usual and because I had not eaten ANY fish from the waters of Mazatlan in 3 years because I suspected I had the Ciguterra Toxin in my system I ate only I/4 of a fillet....and oh boy was it ever good . I slept well, got up and had my coffee and read my papers and was on the beach at 6:00 am to fish . I wandered and fished my way down to El Cid and visited with my friends a bit and then decided to fish the rocks on the other side of our building . As I got back right in front of my building I felt kinda weird, kinda light headed and then the next thing I knew I had falling forward and couldn't catch myself from falling down . Then I fell several times trying to stand but finally got upright and floundered up to the foot shower of my building. Even as I sat there I couldn't keep my balance, I thought I was having a stroke was petrified. I called MP and she came running and as I recovered she and Alan our maintenance guy held onto to me to our condo unit. I immediately had to go to the bathroom and had severe diarrhea. Within two hours I could walk without help. Now 3 days later I'm just a bit unsteady but still having G.I. issues.
Ciguterra is the most common of a few Fish Toxins, 50,000 cases a year of which 15,000 are in the USA. There is no test for it and diagnosis is made by the process of elimination. It occurs between the two tropics, Cancer and Capricorn at 35 degrees north and 35 degrees south Latitude. Small fish eat the coral and big fish eat the small fish and we eat the big fish. The fish most apt to carry the toxin are in shore predator fish like Barracuda, Snappers , Grouper and Sea Bass which are much akin to that Robalo ( snook ) . The Toxin accumulates in the human system being stored in your fat cells. It is rarely fatal and effects different people in different ways. The amount of toxin in your system depends on your exposure to fish, so people like me who catch, handle and eat fish as a lifestyle can be most affected. Some people it doesn't effect at all.
The top pic is a Corvina which is Sea Bass. The middle pic is a nice big Pargo, red Snapper and the 3rd pic is our fishing team with a load of Corvina, some really nice big ones...the bigger the fish the more toxin.
As the years went on we realized that often after eating fish I would get sick, usually vomiting the fish up during the night. Many a time we had fish with other couples and I'd be the only one sick. Many nights after dining I would just feel queasy. Years ago a renowned fisherman warned me of the Ciguatera. He told me I was the perfect person to become infected with the toxin. I eat it at least once a week and through the years of I've handled hundreds of these fish and thousands of fish in general. An interesting thing is that once you have the toxin in your system the fish that makes you sick usually won't have the toxin but any fish you might eat can trick your system into releasing the stored toxin into your bloodstream .
Ciguatoxins are lipid-soluble and can be stored in the body's tissues, including fat, for a long time (months or even years). The symptoms experienced by individuals who "carry" the toxin (meaning they have residual toxin from a previous exposure) can recur intermittently, especially when triggered by certain factors like consuming alcohol, nuts/nut oils, or even more fish.
Gastrointestinal symptoms
Nausea Vomiting Diarrhea Abdominal pain or cramps
Neurological and sensory symptoms
Tingling or numbness around the mouth, lips, and throat, spreading to hands and feet Sore muscles Tooth pain Temperature reversal: A sensation where hot objects feel cold and cold objects feel hot. This is considered a hallmark symptom. Itching, which can be extreme and worsened by alcohol Headaches Dizziness Fatigue or weakness Difficulty walking In severe cases, hallucinations or coma
Important considerations
Symptoms usually appear within minutes to 24 hours after eating the contaminated fish. Most people recover fully within days or weeks, but some neurological symptoms can persist for months or even years in rare cases. There is no antidote, and treatment is supportive, focusing on managing the specific symptoms. It is recommended to seek medical attention for diagnosis and treatment. Avoid alcohol and vigorous exercise, as these can worsen the symptoms. To prevent recurrence, some medical professionals advise avoiding fish, nuts, and alcohol for up to six months after recovery. So now I'm having neurological problems that you see in the info. I have a friend here who knows Mazatlan and is a true waterman. He swears that my condition can't be ciguatera because he's never seem coral around Mazatlan...Well, it's obvious now that he's wrong. I think the fact that fish have fins to take them wherever they'd like might have something to do with the riddle of no coral.... The internet is a wonderful thing. If you or somebody you know seems to get food poisoning a lot and fishes the tropics....look into and try to head it off before you get to the point that I have. But ya know me, Mr Bright side, if I had been anywhere else than the beach and fell that hard I could of been really hurt.....so....no pescador zarenado, no pescador entero, no pescador diablo....I'm done with that !
Ciguatera Fish Poisoning
The larger the fish, the more ciguatoxin it contains. Symptoms of ciguatera fish poisoning include: * **Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea...
NYC.gov
Naturally occurring seafood toxins | Health - Queensland Government
Jun 8, 2021 — What are the symptoms? Symptoms usually start one to 24 hours after eating a toxic fish. The time before onset of illne...
Queensland Government
Ciguatera - Canada.ca
Nov 16, 2022 — What are the symptoms? Symptoms can occur within minutes, but generally develop within 24 hours of eating contaminated...
Mile 14 on the Kenai River, well, its a special place on earth. I tell people the Kenai river is like my first girlfriend, always changing, fickle, unpredictable but absolutely gorgeous. This place is the major league of salmon fishing, and you'll see why. No politics here, well maybe a little fish politics, just plain simple fun and adventure.
I have been a fulltime guide on the Kenai River here in Alaska since 1981. I'm a fishing machine between my summer job and surf fishing in Mazatlan Mexico. I've been married to the best person I know for 32 years. I'm a musician , health nut and I like to have fun. Mile 14 is where I live on the Kenai River. So this Blog will be my views, experiences, huge catches and adventures right here from Mile 14...and most of them will be true.
