Ciguatera in the Gilbert Islands — COOPER 
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173150 - 5 | 5 ' T 
Fig. 1. Map of Butaritari Atoll. 
sandy-bottomed lagoon opposite Ukianang vil- 
lage, deep water in the passage and anchorage 
outside, and living coral on the reefs. 
Toxic fish were first reported from Butaritari 
about 1947-1948, and one of the earliest re- 
corded cases of poisoning was the crew of the 
London Missionary Society’s vessel, "John Wil- 
liams VI.” They caught a number of Acanthurus 
xanthopterus in the lagoon anchorage near Uki- 
anang and, having had no previous experience 
of poisonous fish in Butaritari, they ate them. 
So many of the crew were poisoned that the 
vessel was unable to sail on time. 
It is not known when the toxicity began to 
clear, but by 1956 there was already a great im- 
provement in the condition of the reefs around 
Kotabu and Tukurere, where many species of 
fish were safe to eat. The toxicity took much 
longer to clear in the lagoon by Ukianang, the 
South Passage, and anchorage. The "John Wil- 
liams VI” was again involved in a case of poison- 
ing in 1956, but this time it was the European 
passengers and the captain of the ship who were 
very severely poisoned by an unidentified fish. 
The health of one of the passengers was so seri- 
ously affected that he was forced to resign from 
his work. 
By 1959 all species of fish, with the exception 
of large Lutianus bohar and the Muraenidae, 
were again being eaten in all toxic areas. By 
1961 the Butaritari people claimed that they 
were free of poisonous fish, except for an occa- 
