The stomachs of nearly all of the fish called Wahoo (Ono) contain a pair of parasitic trematode worms (Hirudinella ventricosa), which suck blood from the fish’s stomach lining. The presence of these parasites constitutes a local taboo that prohibits Marshallese women from consuming this fish. Only two are ever found among the stomach contents, and these cause no contamination of the highly prized flesh.
10 March 2014