What type of fish is this?
- Thread starter rockdog
- Start date
wishiniwasfishin1
Well-Known Member
It looks like a baby coho...hard to be sure - looks like a salmon of some sort though...
Last edited by a moderator:
rockdog
Well-Known Member
It wasn't clipped. I had a look for the fin, and it was there, however it was small. I figured it was some type of salmon, but I wasn't sure. I volunteered to clip coho a few weeks back, and this guy looks a little different.
This little guy was dead, and the fin was lying flat on his body.
This little guy was dead, and the fin was lying flat on his body.
It's NOT a coho, chinook, chum OR sockeye smolt/fry - it's a very skinny juvie pink (no parr marks) with what looks like a blue heron pick mark on it. If you look closely you can see the adipose.
Not sure why they are dying. Were there big #s of them on the beach? Sometimes they get chased by coho smolts or sculpins up onto the beach when they are trying to flee by leaping out of the water.
Not sure why they are dying. Were there big #s of them on the beach? Sometimes they get chased by coho smolts or sculpins up onto the beach when they are trying to flee by leaping out of the water.
Last edited by a moderator:
rockdog
Well-Known Member
Thanks Agent. There were not large numbers that I saw. I walked a good section of that beach looking for more. I only found 4. 3 were dead, and one was swimming sideways. It looked like he didn't have long to go.
I picked up a different dead one (the pic is of a dead one), and it looked pretty clean, with no marks on it. The one that was dying, was only breathing through one side of his gills. The other gill plate wasnt moving at all.
I found them in less than 6 inches of water. Washed in by the tide I'm sure.
I picked up a different dead one (the pic is of a dead one), and it looked pretty clean, with no marks on it. The one that was dying, was only breathing through one side of his gills. The other gill plate wasnt moving at all.
I found them in less than 6 inches of water. Washed in by the tide I'm sure.
as you know they are pretty small. Prob. need a magnifying glass and an exacto knife. dissecting on the beach can be challenging, unless you can find a nice, flat log or something. Ice and a small cooler, and you can do it home or elsewhere.
Since they were in numbers large enough to notice (on the beach - many many more could have died below the water and remained unseen), skinny, and some dying - that suggests some kind of mass die-off - possibly a epizootic.
The heart will be large enough to easily see, and the liver - and the gills. The other organs will be too tiny to really see well. pale, pink gills - bad. dark heart or spotty liver - bad. red spots - bad.
W/o the appropriate preservative and vials - viral testing is out of the question. BUT you can see some histopathology signs....
Since they were in numbers large enough to notice (on the beach - many many more could have died below the water and remained unseen), skinny, and some dying - that suggests some kind of mass die-off - possibly a epizootic.
The heart will be large enough to easily see, and the liver - and the gills. The other organs will be too tiny to really see well. pale, pink gills - bad. dark heart or spotty liver - bad. red spots - bad.
W/o the appropriate preservative and vials - viral testing is out of the question. BUT you can see some histopathology signs....
Last edited by a moderator:
My thoughts are; should not DFO be out there collecting samples and doing viral testing and other examinations as necessary. If not, one has to question what exactly the tax payers are getting for the Two Billion we give them annually.
Perhaps they should be contacted.
On the other hand we all know how hard DFO has worked not to find disease in Pacific Salmon that could cause political problems for the Feds. Perhaps it would be good idea to also call Morton.
Perhaps they should be contacted.
On the other hand we all know how hard DFO has worked not to find disease in Pacific Salmon that could cause political problems for the Feds. Perhaps it would be good idea to also call Morton.
Last edited by a moderator:
fish stalker
Active Member
baby surf smelt?
(pic in article is of mature male which is paler and more golden)
(pic in article is of mature male which is paler and more golden)
The short answer is yes, Rockfish - they should.
The slightly longer answer that we all know - is that - although there are some good people tucked-away in DFO, I have not yet met an openly honest rep from the aquaculture or communications branch, yet.
AND all of them have bosses that take their orders from Harper's PMO, and the Deputy Minister down the line. The only more disfunctional federal organization in Canada is either the RCMP brass or CFIA.
In addition, money is tight. Why spend money you don't have in order to find a problem you don't want - esp. if your bosses will give you sh*t for it and hide your results?
Ask Molly whether or not she would again test Cultus Lake fish given the sh*t she and Kristi got from the DFO upper echelon.
CFIA is (if it is possible) even worse than DFO. They are so used to solely dealing with industry (as they call their "clients") - they have forgotten who they work for and seem to feel that all this being accountable to the public stuff is really getting in the way of protecting trade.
So, there are unfortunately few options left.
The two I would recommend would be Morton, and Miller as well. Morton is political, but well intended and has some support to offer. Miller is apolitical, and a very good scientist - but limited in what she can do and how far she can push. I would contact both. Maybe test the resident juvie herring, as well. Contacts below:
Miller-Saunders, Kristi
Head, Salmon Genetics
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Salmon Genetics
3190 Hammond Bay Road
Nanaimo, British Columbia
V9T 6N7
250-756-7155
Kristi.Miller@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Alexandra Morton C/O
Raincoat Research Society
Simoom Sound, BC
V0P 1S0
info@raincoastresearch.org
http://www.raincoastresearch.org/contact.htm
http://www.salmonaresacred.org/contact
Last edited by a moderator:
It's a skinny pink smolt, FS. Notice the emerald green around the caudal peduncle (tail)?
I have the same perception, there are indeed some good people at DFO who clearly are concerned about Pacific salmon and I have found them surprising candid in one on one conversations. I can imagine it is not a fun place to work if you are concerned about Pacific salmon and I suspect there is a fair bit of looking over ones shoulder. I also suspect it is a morale issue for those concerned about Pacific Salmon, knowing that the path to promotion lies not in protection Pacific Salmon but in protecting the Norwegian net pen industry’s profits.
There does seems to be those who could not wait to retire from DFO, collect their healthy government pension and go on to work for the industry’s spin machine.
As for DFO’s Aquaculture and Communications Branch, Judge Cohen got it right on the conflict of interest that DFO is in by acting as an extension of the Open Net Pen Industry’s PR and Communication Machine and protecting the industry at all costs. What a great use of our tax dollars that could be going towards Pacific salmon rather than subsidizing a risky and discredited industry – corporate welfare at its worst.
rockdog
Well-Known Member
That is a good idea...
Similar threads
