FGCU researchers warn of ciguatera, a dangerous toxin found in reef fish

Researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University are warning seafood lovers about toxins in our water that can make them sick.

“Everybody should be aware of it,” FGCU Marine Science Professor Dr. Mike Parsons said.

He’s talking about ciguatera, which he told WINK News is, “a form of seafood poisoning.”

Dr. Parsons has been studying toxins in our oceans for years. He and graduate students from FGCU are getting to the bottom of a mystery in Florida’s marine food chain.

“I love seafood,” Nicholas Culligan said, who is one of the graduate students taking on the task at Tennessee Reef just off the Florida Keys. “I want to make sure that everything I’m eating doesn’t send me home writhing in pain.”