Fish safe to eat ?

[Randy Dandy]

We have caught some fish in a local pond (small lake). The wife and I noticed blood spots on the tails of several of the bluegill and bass. Also there are small pepper-like spots in the meat. This pond is not fished very often at all. The water was kinda murky/mucky today. Please look at pictures and tell us what you think.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y267/Mudball/007.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y267/Mudball/010.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y267/Mudball/008.jpg

[Wendy]

I wouldn't eat it, but that's just me. I love fish, but unless you are real familiar with the pond & what is in it & what goes on around it, I'd pass. Not worth getting sick over.

[Ravenlost]

I don't think I'd eat it either.

[wildhorse]

Id rather be safe than sorry it could have had anchor worms or bacterial illness.

[Beaners]

No matter what it is, thorough cooking should render it safe. There aren't many things that can pass from fish to people that cooking wouldn't kill. That being said, if I had something else available to eat, I would toss the fish.

Kayleigh

[botebum]

Originally Posted by Beaners

No matter what it is, thorough cooking should render it safe. There aren't many things that can pass from fish to people that cooking wouldn't kill. That being said, if I had something else available to eat, I would toss the fish.

Kayleigh

Sooooo wrong! Heavy metals and pesticides in runoff water are a major source of warnings about fish consumption.
Better advice would be to check with your local extension agent before eating any fish from the pond. He/she'll be interested to know about the defects in the fish and may have a ready answer for you.
Just for you Beaners- NYS Fish Consumption

Doug

[oldgaredneck]

I second the idea of checking with the local extension agent or a Department of Natural Resources person, if you have an office close by.
Would not eat the fish in the meanwhile.....

[bill not in oh]

Originally Posted by Beaners

No matter what it is, thorough cooking should render it safe. There aren't many things that can pass from fish to people that cooking wouldn't kill.

Kayleigh

Not so .... this is only one example and would certainly not apply to the fish in question in this thread as it is only present in warm water reef (salt water) species, but if in doubt.....


http://www.co.boulder.co.us/health/e...ateraToxin.htm

[ricky]

I personally called the game and inland fishery office in richmond va. spoke to a mariene bioligest about the problem here in va. i was told that the fish are fine to eat. i was told that it freakes you out to look at the parasites but when the fish is cooked all are gone from the meat. your choice to pick them out or cook them eat them or throw them back.. if you take the point of your knife and take the seed looking thing out it opens up like a worm. sick huh? any way i couldn't eat the fish and no longer fish the ponds i caught the fish in. probably the worst thing i could have done is not fish them. they needed to be cleand out of about 60 to 70% of the fish. that would probably clear up the problem. one other thing if the parasites were bad they would kill the fish

That may be the parasite that is pretty common and lives part of its life cycle in snails. I forget the name, but it is carried by herons and other fowl. Introducing redear to the pond cleans up the snails and solves the problem.

[Randy Dandy]

Thank you all very much for the help. Im getting ready to go to work but will talk this over with wife later today and after I get home. I hate this because our two young sons caught these fish. The other thing is that our oldest son caught two catfish and they look perfectly clean and normal from head to tail and there are no spots in the meat from the catfish. Do you suppose it (the catfish) processes things differently or is it because some possible chemicals from a nearby cattle farm (main cause/problem ?) float on top of the water and never really make it down to where the catfish spend most of its time ?
It makes me wonder if we should even eat the catfish.

[Trixie]

Isn't there a time of the year when fish, bass anyway, have parasites?

When my husband used to fish a lot, I know there was always a period that they did not fish because there were small worms under the skin.

I would ask, but he is asleep.

[Tater'sPa]

I agree with poppy.
I don't know about the blood on the fins but the pepper like spots are called black spot disease. A parasite spread by the heron. A black grub that bores into the skin and flesh, it's found in many ponds and lakes. It's unsightly but harmless to humans and the parasite dies when it's cooked.

[tn_junk]

Around here there are a lot of bloody fish tails as this is the time of year that they are making their spawning beds, and using their tails to fan out a nest on the bottom. That said, even though I know blackspot won't hurt me 'cause the parasite dies when cooked, it still turns me off on fish when I find it.

galump

[Beaners]

Originally Posted by botebum

Sooooo wrong! Heavy metals and pesticides in runoff water are a major source of warnings about fish consumption.
Better advice would be to check with your local extension agent before eating any fish from the pond. He/she'll be interested to know about the defects in the fish and may have a ready answer for you.
Just for you Beaners- NYS Fish Consumption

Doug

I grew up fishing on Onondaga Lake, one of the most polluted lakes in the country. I also would never eat anything that was a known risk because of chemical contamination. I assumed this was a parasite or bacteria, apparently it is a parasite. I still stand by the statement that most parasites and bacteria present in fish will not be harmful to people after being cooked.

Kayleigh

[fishhead]

I would cook them well and enjoy a good meal.

I don't know about the red spots on the tail but the black spots look like black grub (Neascus sp). It's harmless when cooked and probaby harmless even when not cooked.

Lake galump said the tail could be injured from fanning out the nest basin in the gravel.

[staceyfb]

We have that in almost every lake in WI. The black spots are a parasitic worm. It is completely safe to eat. The bloody tail section could very well be from spawn beds being made or it could be the parasite in the tail. They do not have the meat to hide the blood in the tail as they do in the main body.
Again, if these were not safe to eat I would have died ALONG time ago, I am 35 and have never seen a gill or sunfish without it.

[Randy Dandy]

Thank you all again. After the wife and I talked about the fish we decided to pass on the bluegill this time. We are going to keep the bass and catfish. After also talking to a couple of locals it seems that several of you are correct about the bloody spots on the tail being created from making beds and I guess as far as the parasites are concerned they start to use the bluegill to grow when the waters reach a certain temperature and they claim they are harmless but the wife are not comfortable with it. Thanks again and this has been a first for me after all these years of fishing.