Does anyone have any information on the toxin found in the roe of the cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus, found from Mexico to Alaska)? As a recreational angler in British Columbia since the age of 6, I've known for many years that their roe is poisonous and you shouldn't consume it. It was passed on anecdotally by other anglers (I've caught and eaten many a cabezon but always avoided the roe.)
Recently I was contacted by the staff of our poison control organization in B. C. who told me that a family was quite ill after eating some. They would like to know what the toxin is or even to what family of toxins it belongs. I checked my reference books, USFDA Seafood Hazards guide and other sites on the internet, etc. and wasn't able to find anything. Many of the books and internet sites refer to the roe's toxicity but none says what the toxin is. (Sounds like a PhD waiting to be done.)
I have received copies of 3 published documents from a colleague with the Pacific Biological Station. One is Common Ocean Fishes of the California Coast by Phil M. Roedel, 1953, Fish Bulleting No. 91, State of California Department of Fish and Game which states: "Warning: the roe of the cabezon is poisonous and can cause severe illness if eaten."
The most interesting is Toxicity of the Roe of the Cabezon, Scorpaenichthys marmoratus by Carl L. Hubbs and Arne N. Wick with the Scripps Institution of Oceanograpy and Sripps Metabolic Clinic (I believe this was also published by California Department of Fish and Game, prob. in 1951.) The author recounts a rather rough personal experience he and his wife had. "The two who ate the eggs awoke in misery abut four hours afterward and were violently ill throughout the rest of the night, with rapidly alternating chills and fever and with frequent vomiting and diarrhea. There was, however, no marked prostration, fainting, dizziness, or paralysis. Both were left very weak in the morning but gradually recovered during the day, with no residual or recurrent symptoms." They then fed homogenized roe orally to 12 rats and two guinea pigs. Four rats and one guinea pig died!!! "All the animals exhibited diarrhea and nasal discharge, but these conditions diminished in intensity as the dose was decreased."
The third paper was an Ichthyological Note published in Copeia in 1957, Avoidance of Poisonous Eggs fo the Marine Fish Scorpaenichthys marmoratus by Predators" by R. W. Pillsbury, from U.B.C. This paper surmises that the toxicity is a survival strategy to stop predators from targeting the cabezon eggs.
Any info. will be appreciated!
Klaus Schallié
Aquaculture & Molluscan Shellfish Specialist
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Burnaby, B. C., Canada
Telephone (604) 666-4427 ext. 277
Facsimile (604) 666-4440
e-mail schalliek@inspection.gc.ca
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