Increasing seafood poisoning is due to climate change

Environmental pollution and global warming are adversely affecting marine ecosystems, making seafood species more susceptible to poisoning. It is estimated that there are about 50,000 cases of ciguatera poisoning in the world each year, with more than 90% of cases not reported.

Ciguatera is a form of food poisoning caused by eating fish that live in coral reefs (reef fish) that contain a number of natural toxins originating from some tropical waters. Accumulated in the head, liver, intestines and eggs, ciguatera toxins are very stable, not decomposed during cooking and are often identified through symptoms in victims of poisoning such as nausea, cramps , headache, muscle aches, itchy or unable to speak.

Flounder fish sold at Philippines seafood market
(Photo: Imageshack.us)

Scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (USA) argue that when the ocean warms up due to the effects of greenhouse gases and chemical pollution, damaged coral reefs and toxic algae have chance to multiply. The situation of ciguatera poisoning is increasing due to the phenomenon of climate change affecting coral reefs, where dozens of fish species regularly go to feed. They absorb toxic chemicals when ingesting smaller fish that consume toxic algae.

Previously, ciguatera poisoning occurred only in the South Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean, but has now spread throughout Asia, Europe and North America. Typically in the US, since the 1970s, seafood poisoning cases have increased 5 times to more than 250 cases per year. Meanwhile, due to the import of most seafood, Hong Kong happens hundreds of ciguatera poisoning cases each year, compared with less than 10 in the 1980s.

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