Cleaning and packing Hali

[abbyfireguy]

Hi again guys. Once we have our Hali, what is the best method for preparing them for travel home to the mainland.Fillets with skin on or??
We will fish till Friday noon and then head home to Vancouver hopefully on the 6:00 boat from Naniamo.
Is filleting the 4 pieces off and bagging them on ice fine.
We will have lots of salt ice for the short trip home.Salmon have alway been great buried in salt ice, but I've never had to do halibut.
I hope they don't expect us to leave them whole!![8)]
We will be fishing Tuesday till Friday.
Thanks

IAFF Local #18 (Vancouver Fire Rescue)

[Sea Wolf]

Better read the regs about that. I think you have to be able to identify the specie - wild or hatchery and number of fish taken. I was inspected at a dock near Port Hardy last summer after filleting and wrapping a halibut and could have got into some serious trouble. The officer let me go with a warning. Nice guy - my fault.

Sea Wolf

[SeaWolf]

From the DFO Website:

Halibut must be filleted in such a way that skin is left on each fillet.

Halibut weighing 14 kg. (30 lbs) or less may be cut into four fillets. The four fillets should be packaged and placed in one bag so that one bag would represent one fish.

For halibut between 14 and 34 kg. (30 and 75 lbs), each fillet may be cut into two pieces. This will result in the fish being cut into a maximum of eight pieces. These pieces should be packaged and numbered in a sequence, e.g., 1 of 8, 2 of 8, 3 of 8 etc. to indicate that eight pieces of halibut represent one fish. Skin must be left on all fillets and pieces.

For halibut over 34 kg. (75 lbs), each of the four fillets may be cut into four pieces. This will result in your fish being cut into a maximum of 16 pieces. These pieces should be packaged and numbered as outlined above. Remember, skin must be left on all fillets and pieces, and the packages should be labelled and numbered as described above.

REMEMBER: It is your responsibility to ensure the packaging will allow the species , number, size and weight to be readily determined.


SeaWolf - the original

[abbyfireguy]

Thanks,hopefully we get nothing over 75 lbs.
I don't need a hernia![8D]:D

IAFF Local #18 (Vancouver Fire Rescue)

[Sushihunter]

A lot of guys I know, when cleaning a Halibut will take all the skin off except for a small 1" square bit of skin left on each fillet.

Any opinions on how the DFO minions will react to that?



Jim's Fishing Charters
www.JimsFishing.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/Sushihunter250

http://www.jimsfishing.com/images-index/jfc_banner-2009-01.jpg

[Poppa Swiss]

always put flesh to flesh and skin to skin, I've seen so many guys contaminate their flesh by putting slimy skin on their meat.

http://www.fishingvancouverisland.org

[Barnacle Bill]

Great tip on putting them flesh to flesh, but might add, keep the bags "Flat", so they don't bunch up in the bottom of the plastic bag. I try to scrape and wash off most of the slime, but can't get it all off.,........BB

[Island Fish Lifter]

The absolute best way is if you can leave them on ice, heads off, guts out and in the round until just before theyre processed.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee90/daveeyx/untitled.jpg
Fill the dam tub!

[Fishtofino]

You gotta catch them 1st [}:)]

[bananas]

1 inch pieces of skin on each piece is all you need left on.

[Charlie]

I prefer to bleed and gut, and clean a halibut, just as soon as I can! It has to do with those ‘little wormy’ thingy’s. :)

The very first thing I do after bleeding and gutting, is cut the stomach out. Then do as mentioned, fillet them out leaving a small piece of skin on each. Bag and/or vacuum pack, then put those pieces into a larger bag. A clear or white garbage bag can usually hold one fish and makes it easy to identify the pieces as one!

[copro]

I'm coming to BC for an extended time this summer with the family. Kinda doing family things a day or two then fishing a day or two.... Going back and forth for several weeks. Gotta break it up to keep the kids (and wife) interested. Any suggestions for packing fish that will be frozen before transport home?? Those are awful big pieces of fish to package and freeze.

Thanks

[img=left]http://gallery.bateau2.com/albums/userpics/12747/thumb_xDSC01379.JPG[/img=left]

[Halilogger]

Quote (:The absolute best way is if you can leave them on ice, heads off, guts out and in the round until just before theyre processed)

I second I.F.L and other guys I fish with say the same.[:p]

[Barnacle Bill]

Awe, trick question!! I agree with my friend down the street (IFL), better to travel in the round, head off,cleaned, then all cut up......BB

[Highliner]

quote:Originally posted by Island Fish Lifter

in the round.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee90/daveeyx/untitled.jpg
Fill the dam tub!


???

Highliner

www.salmonboats.ca

[Barnacle Bill]

"In the Round" Cleaned, head off. No more then that!!!......BB

[Califbill]

quote:Originally posted by copro

I'm coming to BC for an extended time this summer with the family. Kinda doing family things a day or two then fishing a day or two.... Going back and forth for several weeks. Gotta break it up to keep the kids (and wife) interested. Any suggestions for packing fish that will be frozen before transport home?? Those are awful big pieces of fish to package and freeze.


If a commercial fish processor vacu seals them, they give you paper work and can transport processed fish.
http://www.hardybuoys.com/sportfishing_didyouknow.html
Bottom of the page.

21'Jetcraft Bluewater, Hobie Outback

[Osama Bin Hopper]

Is it just me or

By bringing your sports caught fish to this facility, once all the incoming weights, counts and species have been recorded, this facility can portion, skin, smoke and render your catch unidentifiable. Still keeping you within the legal guidelines for transportation etc... provided once you travel, you have incoming fish slips from this facility to correspond with what you are transporting.

Why is that a selling feature? Render your catch unidentifiable? Thats a good thing?

And 3 halis possesion...

Perhaps not the best authority on the subject.



Gimee the gaff!!!

[ray4903]

A very good topic. I am looking at fishing in Port Hardy in next few week. Hopefully catch salmon and halibut. I have read the regs for 'transporting fish'- seems incredibly onerous- just my opinion.
Seems like 'fish processors' get like 1.50 - $1.70 a pound gross weight which seems a bit( actually incredibly) steep - especially for fisherman who regularly clean fish , fillet and package with obvious intent to do so wisely and to keep fish fresh and in good shape.
Don't mind contributing to local economy at all -but this seems beyond the norm.
Question; For salmon - if we clean - 2 fillets each fish for salmon ( guess leave tails on one fillet and cut in half and make two pieces each side, vacuum and freeze and all in one bag - are we good ?
For halibut - the same question- altho it seems size is factor on number of fillets.

Last question- can one clean , cut fillet into portions they want and then give them to processor to just vacuum pack and freeze for transport and still be okay ? and will 'processor' still charge to make up for gross weight.
Catching and bringing home say 150 lbs of fish with a cost of a few hundred extra dollars seems a bit excessive just to transport fish 'legally'.