#Puffer fish hawaii skin

So what happened to the ulua and puffer after the lose-lose battle? … Christy told me one of the fisherman’s friends picked it up. Consider that even in Japan, fugu can only be prepared by specially certified and licensed chefs, who are trained to safely prepare the fish. Having said that, it’s illegal for restaurants in Hawaii to serve fugu and eating it should be avoided as 7 deaths have been linked to puffer fish ingestion in the state of Hawaii. On the flip side, the puffer fish is actually a Japanese delicacy known as ‘fugu’ – people in Hawaii eating it, is not unheard of. Somebody eating an ulua should be more concerned about ciguatera which does biomagnify and is common in Hawaii.”

#Puffer fish hawaii skin

On social media, many people were commenting about puffers being toxic asking “Should people that handle or eat the ulua be careful?” It’s true that puffers secrete a toxic skin substance and are usually considered poisonous but my uncle, who has been a marine biologist in Hawaii for several decades – said, “I am aware of no reports of tetrodotoxin being transferred to the flesh of ulua or any other fish that happen to successfully eat puffers. Hallacher says “Intuitively it seems to me that ulua with a predilection for eating puffers/porcupine fish would not leave a lot of offspring and the behavior would be generally selected against.” A natural occurrence of Darwin’s natural selection process.

This porcupine fish felt threatened by its predator, the ulua, and did the only thing in its power to protect itself.ĭr. They inflate – expanding their body size by taking in water -when threatened. They are generally nocturnal and adults usually linger inshore, around areas that offer shelter, like caves, reefs and ledges. The spines only stick out when the fish is inflated. He told me that the fish in the ulua’s mouth is actually a “Porcupine fish” – most likely Diodon Hystrix – which is a member of the puffer fish family Diodontidae. I spoke to my Uncle Leon Hallacher- also a marine biologist at UHH – for some insight into this peculiar and surprising occurrence. One of the fisherman said he had heard of such a thing happening before but never saw it in real life. The ulua was still alive when they brought it to shore. “My son is 92 lbs and we took a photo by my husbands size 13 slipper. Christy said they don’t know exactly how much the fish weighed. It took several people to carry the (some people estimate 100 + pounder) to shore. He called for help and my sons and husband went to help him bring the fish in.” “We thought it was a shark at first but the fisherman noticed what kind of fish it was. Around mid-afternoon the fishermen noticed something thrashing and struggling just outside the reef… things were about to get a little more exciting! It was August 3rd, the kids last day for some summer fun before going back to school. A couple of fishermen were out on the reef throwing net and Christy Kajiwara Gusman’s family was enjoying a quiet beach day out front of the VWF Hall in Kihei. I interviewed the family that helped bring it to shore and spoke to a marine biologist about the event for some insight. A photo of an ulua choking on a puffer fish has gone viral this week.