Preliminary Results: Screening of Ciguatera Toxins Found in Indo-Pacific Lionfish (Pterois volitans) in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands Resultados Preliminares de la Detección de Ciguatoxinas en el Pez León del Indopacífico (Pterois volitans) que Habita St. Croix (Islas Vírgenes Estadounidenses) Résultats Préliminaires : Examen des Toxines Ciguateriques Trouvées dans des Poisson-Lions de L'indo-Pacifique (Pterois volitants) À Sainte-Croix, Iles Vierges Américaines

Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is a food borne illness caused by the consumption of fish that contain ciguatera toxins (CTXs). Typically, ciguatera fish poisoning symptoms include gastrointestinal and neurological effects. Ciguatera toxins are secondary metabolites that are produced by marine dinoflagellates, more specifically, of the genus Gambierdiscus. Local government agencies and environmental groups have encouraged the consumption of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans) whose white flesh tastes similar to a snapper or grouper. Our preliminary results showed that 40% (n = 20) of the lionfish tested from the west end of St. Croix indicated the presence of CTX in their tissue. Results also showed that 15% of the tissue samples had levels above the 0.1 ppb FDA guidance for consumption.