CENTER FOR PACIFIC ISLANDS COASTAL AND COMMUNITY HEALTH
Academic Modules
Spearheaded by Kelsie Kuniyoshi, PICCH is developing a unit plan, “Ciguatera Poisoning: Science, Society, and Solutions” to introduce our keiki (youth) to each facet of ciguatera’s influence, from marine ecosystems to human communities and food security, through the lens of Hawaiian culture and language.
Our unit includes 11 lessons with instructor handouts, supplemental materials, and slides. By the end of the lessons, students will have the knowledge to create a public health tool or product to educate local communities about CP risk, incorporating both scientific and Indigenous perspectives.
- Haʻawina (Lesson) 1 – Seafood Traditions in Hawaiʻi
- Haʻawina 2 – Ciguatera Poisoning: A Foodborne Illness
- Haʻawina 3 – Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
- Haʻawina 4 – Ciguatera Poisoning and Human Health
- Haʻawina 5 – Ciguatera and Coastal Communities
- Haʻawina 6 – Ciguatera Outbreak Risk Factors
- Haʻawina 7 – Testing and Monitoring Ciguatera
- Haʻawina 8 – Developing Products
- Haʻawina 9 – Ciguaterror!
- Haʻawina 10 (Optional) – Huakaʻi Makahiʻo: Limu Collection
- Haʻawina 11 (Optional) – Identifying Gambierdiscus spp.
Contact Eileen Nalley (enalley@hawaii.edu) for more information on using these materials in your curriculum!
Relevant Videos
- Voice of the Sea (VOS) Ciguatera Poisoning: We’re learning about ciguatera poisoning, the seafood illness that comes from toxins produced by microscopic algae in warm, nearshore waters. Researchers in Hawaiʻi are studying these tiny algae, known as dinoflagellates, to better understand where they are most abundant and which species are producing toxins — with the goal of helping people eat safe seafood. We hear about what it’s like to get ciguatera poisoning, why toxins accumulate, and how to avoid getting sick. And, we learn about the Pacific Ciguatera Network research collaborations in American Samoa and the Marshall Islands.
Informational Pamphlets
SPECIES SUSPECTED OF CARRYING CIGUATOXINS
Use the following links to learn more about the species of fishes and invertebrates that have been identified as carriers of ciguatoxins. While there is some crossover between the suspected species in different locations, these lists have been created as place-specific guides.
Learn more about the Center for Pacific Islands Coastal and Community Health
Center for Pacific Islands Coastal and Community Health
2525 Correa Road, HIG 214
Honolulu, HI 96822
Phone: (808) 956-7031
Director
Eileen Nalley, Ph.D.
enalley@hawaii.edu
(808) 956-3349
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