White globules in salmon meat

R

Rustle

Guest
I've often noticed a few small white globules (about 4 or 5 mm in diameter) in the meat of the salmon I'm filleting. Often they are near the tail and especially in sockeye. They don't seem to have anything in them except some cloudy fluid.
Recently one fish had 40 or 50 of them all clustered together at the tail end.
What the heck are these things anyway? Anybody know for sure?
 
OK I'll bite, or at least mouth the bait. If its cancer, besides being grosse to look at is it dangerous for consumption?

... I guess that fish smoked too much

Cheers,
Alex

... "high water" is when you can fish from your car.
 
OK I'll bite, or at least mouth the bait. If its cancer, besides being grosse to look at is it dangerous for consumption?

... I guess that fish smoked too much

Cheers,
Alex

... "high water" is when you can fish from your car.
 
Very dangerous, the fish in question should not be consumed. These cancer's have been showing up in a small percent of pacific salmon in the last few years.

Thats Mr. Bags to you
 
Very dangerous, the fish in question should not be consumed. These cancer's have been showing up in a small percent of pacific salmon in the last few years.

Thats Mr. Bags to you
 
I guess my description skills are lacking today. These things are about the size and consistancy of salmon eggs, with similar stuff inside, except they are white. They are not a mass of cells like a tumor.
 
I guess my description skills are lacking today. These things are about the size and consistancy of salmon eggs, with similar stuff inside, except they are white. They are not a mass of cells like a tumor.
 
I heard through the Bamfield Ocean research that
"The spots are salt deposits in mostly older Sockeye holding in the inlet . "Nothing new to see them thou"~~~~ They look bad but not lethal when cooked.!!!<img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle> any body Known different ??????
 
I heard through the Bamfield Ocean research that
"The spots are salt deposits in mostly older Sockeye holding in the inlet . "Nothing new to see them thou"~~~~ They look bad but not lethal when cooked.!!!<img src=icon_smile_sad.gif border=0 align=middle> any body Known different ??????
 
Thanx Concerned Angler for the info. That's what I was looking for.
It turns out the critter we are dealing with is a microorganism caled Henneguya salminicola. It can be found in all Pacific Salmon but I have seen it most in Sockeye. There is no mention of health risk to humans though they certainly affect the appearance and perhaps taste of the fish. I cut 'em out.

I found an excellent paper on the web that was written by Stone, MacDiarmond and Pharo for the government of New Zealand. A couple of short excerpts are below. Here's a link if anyone's interested (page 168) http://www.maf.govt.nz/biosecurity/pests-diseases/animals/risk/salmonids-ra.pdf

H. salminicola produces cysts in the muscle of infected fish. The cysts vary from 4-15 mm in diameter, and are filled with masses of spores and debris of destroyed muscle. The cyst wall is host connective tissue resulting from the host’s immune system’s attempts to isolate the parasite. Cysts contain proteases which probably
function to breakdown host tissues for parasite metabolism. After death, these proteases are released into the flesh.

Salmon are infected during their first 6 months in freshwater, and prevalence increases over the whole rearing period. H. salminicola distribution may be related to areas where carcasses of spawned adults accumulate and decompose.

Apologies for the long winded post, I haven't found anybody who knew about this before so maybe you folks will find it useful.

Tight lines, Rustle
 
Thanx Concerned Angler for the info. That's what I was looking for.
It turns out the critter we are dealing with is a microorganism caled Henneguya salminicola. It can be found in all Pacific Salmon but I have seen it most in Sockeye. There is no mention of health risk to humans though they certainly affect the appearance and perhaps taste of the fish. I cut 'em out.

I found an excellent paper on the web that was written by Stone, MacDiarmond and Pharo for the government of New Zealand. A couple of short excerpts are below. Here's a link if anyone's interested (page 168) http://www.maf.govt.nz/biosecurity/pests-diseases/animals/risk/salmonids-ra.pdf

H. salminicola produces cysts in the muscle of infected fish. The cysts vary from 4-15 mm in diameter, and are filled with masses of spores and debris of destroyed muscle. The cyst wall is host connective tissue resulting from the host’s immune system’s attempts to isolate the parasite. Cysts contain proteases which probably
function to breakdown host tissues for parasite metabolism. After death, these proteases are released into the flesh.

Salmon are infected during their first 6 months in freshwater, and prevalence increases over the whole rearing period. H. salminicola distribution may be related to areas where carcasses of spawned adults accumulate and decompose.

Apologies for the long winded post, I haven't found anybody who knew about this before so maybe you folks will find it useful.

Tight lines, Rustle
 
So Mama, what was the largest landed by the Buhda??? Coho fishin is in full swing on the N. flows over the last few.. Keep in touch for some chrome.. Have not heard from the Slabby one in some time. cheers-dirty
 
Thank you "rustle" for your research, I now have 269 pages of reading for the off season...I've been on this coast for the last 17 years and have yet to encounter an infected fish...and I'm thankful for that!

boc
 
Blue Orca

You've gotta be kidding! I've been finding these things in sockeye for years, especially from Port Alberni and the Fraser River. Found a couple in a spring I got two weeks ago in the inlet. Now that I think about it, I only find 'em when I fillet the fish.

Happy to help out with the winter reading material.

Rustle
 
I guess I should fillet more fish:)
Come to think of it, maybe not ...now<img src=icon_smile_dead.gif border=0 align=middle>


boc
 
Hey Dirty,

Good summer up there with tons of fish but lower number of hogs than in previous years. I managed up a 50 release and a 53 release this season and wrapped the career up with a 44 release in the last 15 mins. of the season. Good way to go out. Ya just finished up with some chrome on the north end. Awsome looking fish. Will have to hook up this winter for some chrome swackin'!
 
i dont know how true it is but a few years ago i found salmon like that .i took them to the local dfo house and was promptly told do not eat any fish with these blisters on them.was he pullin my leg i dont know. so anytime i find them like that i just put them to soil.

kevinsc
 
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