Few anglers will actually cook and eat a barracouta – or at least few will admit to doing so! There are several reason for this. Firstly they are difficult to fillet without ending up with large numbers of small bones left in the fillet. Secondly they are often found to have long white parasitic worms imbedded though their flesh. Which although not poisonous, at least not when cooked, they are enough to put anyone off eating them. Possibly a third reason anglers cast barracouta aside is their somewhat ugly appearance. Provided they are free of the parasites they are in fact very good eating. They are particularly good smoked.
The old time Maori, who called barracouta Manga, caught and dried them in huge numbers. They were caught from canoes with a wooden lure that was thrashed on the surface of the sea. Ashore they were dried on racks, where possible in caves, to be stored for later use.
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