A qualitative study was conducted to estimate ciguatera risk index (CRI) for the Caribbean coasts of Panama. The risk zones were determined using the quadrants defined for Panama in the UNESCO HAEDAT database. Documentary records on the occurrence of algal blooms were examined. Some of these records came from publications in indexed journals, while others came from information stored in technical reports from institutions related to the protection and management of the coastal environment. In some cases, samples of toxic or potentially toxic organisms from different areas of the country were examined, as well as the results of theses on the subject. The criteria and respective weightings were those proposed by the ANCA-IOCARIBE working group for each of the countries in the ANCA (Harmful Algae of the Caribbean and Adjacent Areas) region at the group meeting in Panama City in August 2018. These criteria were adapted to the topic of ciguatera. Scores were assigned based on expert opinion on the subject and an analysis of the available evidence, using a variant of the Delphi method (2024). The CRI results show a spatial risk gradient consistent with the ecological and anthropogenic determinants that underlie ciguatera. In the Caribbean of Panama, the section between Cabo Tiburón and the Panama Canal presents the highest risk of Ciguatera (CRI = 2.90) while in the western Caribbean the risk is lower (2.65). This pattern is fully consistent with Caribbean endemicity and the configuration of the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The determinants that increase risk in the Caribbean are benthic substrate cover, vector availability, and the existence of retentive circulation patterns, reinforced by anthropogenic pressures.
