Barracuda-Ciguatera Study

[Sliptip]

The three or four Texas hunters out there that read this board may be interested in this. Not mentioned in the attachment is our interest in detailed descriptions of ciguatera poisioning from fish caught/speared in Texas waters. Note the prize of Riffe #2 Metal Tech to largest Barracuda caught/speared. And just for educational/entertainment purposes, I would like to hear of any amusing/life threating anecdotes related to the spearing of large cuda. Thanks

[junior]

Damn man, do you have webtv on a jumbo-tron? That attachment is YUGE:D


Interesting reward though:cool:

[Sliptip]

Everything is bigger in Texas.

[joens]

thanks for the link .although I had every intention of eating him if I get a big one I might give it to them.

[mushkee]

some advice...

always shoot them in the head, and keep the line very tight...some cudas are known to attack spearos when speared....by keepin the line tight, the cuda can't bite you because by pulling the line on his head you can keep him away from you...

[Marcus]

commerical cuda slingin

Mushkee,

?? Didn't know there was such a thing.

Whom is the meat sold to?

Are sure the attacks weren't accidental? All the cuda I've shot didn't want anything to do with me after I stuck the spear through them. Of course I certaintly haven't stuck near the amount a commercial guy has.

[mushkee]

the market is .50 cent a pound...cuda are known to attack spearos...but some don't...i only done it twice commerically...but the people i did it with have some nice scars...

[Reefrat]

Damn I'm going to get rich just off one of our wrecks here!Now what kind of diveboat am I going to get now?

Oh yea they dont do much after you PH em!

[btk92]

Darn it.... wish I would have known about this before this past weekend.... (see pic below). Plus, we had another one that we tried to get without any success that hung around our boat all day (he was later referred to as "Bob" by everyone on the boat). He was in the 5-6 ft range... very big.

[Rolo]

Btk,

I thought we had seen the last of those shorts.

[Marcus]

I thought we had seen the last of those shorts.

Those shorts are his FAD (Fish attracting Device). :p

[SLAYER]

i commercialy shoot cuda..i have killed over 7,000 lbs since the fist of the year and have never had one turn on me purposely..what would do if you got shot in the head or lips..i would go crazy and spin in circles trying to get away and that is coming from someone who has killed over 500 cudas this year alone

[junior]

FDS, is there much commercial value in cuda meat? I don't think you'd ever see that stuff in Publix. What would they use it for? Don't get me wrong, I like it myself, but what do they do with it after they buy it from you?

[conspearasea]

junior i am not sure but as long as i keep getting my money it doesnt matter..i hear there is alot on the local wrecks over there..maybe i can come over there and we can have a feild day on them pm me and let me know

[SLAYER]

sorry junior i was on conspearaseas name when i said that

[BenthicView]

It is illegal to sell Barracuda for human consumption in FL; due to ciguatera poisoning. If you are going to eat them yourself I would recomend the test kit Cigua-check.

[SLAYER]

benthicveiw

that is not true.that is what an spl is for..if you say that you can not sell cuta you do not know what you are talking about

[Marcus]

Quote: "that is what an spl is for"

OK. I'll bite, what's an spl? Is that anything like a henway?

[SLAYER]

marcus

saltwater products licience

[BenthicView]

Sorry, I wasn't specific.
The reason you don't see barracuda in your local FL Publix is because they are illegal to buy or sell on a retail level in FL.

[SLAYER]

that sounds better

[donmoore]

Hi guys,
I followed the cool Iyadiver over to this board. This is my first post here. I, mostly freedive and I go out of Port Aransas, TX, and Monday we speared some barracuda and Tuesday we took them to University of Texas for their study.

I have shot quite a few over the years, but nowhere as many as freediver slayer. I have a few good stories. First though, I prefer a spine shot for cuda, although this is just my preference, many like the head. I seem to get a higher rate of stoning going for the spine, especially if I can get it to turn away a little so I can put it through the neck and out the head on the other side. My dive buddy shot one last week through the head and it went ballistic jumping twice out of the water and landing on top of him once and narrowly missing his arm. Seemed like he hit an adrenaline gland or something.

The first thing you have to realize with any toothy fish, is that they can be unpredictable. I don’t know if many barracuda will purposely try to swim at a diver when shot, but I have seen them get very close while they are slipping into death. They at any pre stage of death can suddenly snap their mouth close and put their teeth into anything in its way. When shooting cuda you have to stay alert and keep their mouth away from you and anyone else.

Down here is south Texas, we are having an over population problem with them. I have had a few north Texas divers come down here and dive with me, saying they had been seeing a lot of barracuda up north, and they were absolutely shocked at the number we have here. A few years ago the surface of the rigs where filled with Bermuda Chums and other surface fish, but last year there was less, and this year there is only a few hanging around in the protection of the rig legs.

The barracuda, apparently from overgrowth and lack of food, are getting very aggressive. Monday, one stole a grey snapper (the shaft had passed through the fish so it was stringed) right off my stainless line. It then got its teeth stuck in the stainless cable and fought like mad to get free, probably losing a few teeth in the process. It twisted the cable up into what looked and acted like a wound spring. Another tried to take a snapper away from me while I was holding it and jabing at it with my unloaded gun. Something bad could have happened if it wasn’t for the son of my dive buddy who was alert and shot it in the head.

On the study and contest we were told Tuesday, that first place so far was 47lbs and the method of catching was chumming to the boat and gaffing from the boat. This info was shared with us by the scientist in charge of the study. After thinking about this, I e-mailed the scientist and told him, he might want to make some phone calls to the state and federal authorities, because I believe gaffing free swimming fish is illegal. I kind-of hated to do this, as I like I said eariler we have a barracuda overpopulation problem, but I was concerned that some negative publicity might fall on the contest and University, especially since both the people doing it and the University were unaware it was illegal. He e-mailed me back and thanked me. He had called the TPWD and found out gaffing was indeed illegal and notified the men he had to remove them from consideration in the contest.

So Sliptip, if you’re still trying for the record is not 47lbs anymore.
Don

P.S. The best thing about shooting cuda is seeing that smirky, I’m so tough, grin of theirs, change instantly!

[SLAYER]

i know the record is bigger it just may have not been weighed in..i plus i would have broke that ,i just got one this year that weighed 50 lbs. on the dot

[junior]

Yo FDS, what is your cuda killin' technique?

[rigdvr]

last one I shot went 49.2....shot it in the head and it went nuts. Jumped 5+' out of the water on several occassions. I have noticed increased aggressiveness over the last 2 years, especially this year. This is the first year I have had a problem with them while just swimming around(nipping at fin tips)

[donmoore]

You know the world freediving record is only 47.62 lbs.

[rigdvr]

SERIOUSLY????? New goal is set then.

[donmoore]

Rig,
You might want to print an application form and familiarize yourself with the rules before your next trip. Shooting a big fish is only about ½ of what you need to do to set a record. http://www.freediver.net/iusa/home.php
don

[SLAYER]

my cuda killin tecniqce is to kill them all

[knobber]

hey guys, on my rig dive I saw about a five-foot cuda on my way up. Once on the surface, my buddy said he's glad I didn't shoot it, because 1) the meat is horrible to eat, and 2) the slime on the skin produces an allergic reaction on our skin. I've never heard of either--what's the story?

[SLAYER]

if there slime made a reaction on our skin i would be dead