I caught a pretty little 8 lb chrome hen coho on Willapa Bay yesterday that was just full of white cycts about 1/4 inch in diameter, maybe 100 of them embedded in the meat. I've caught a few fish over the years that had a few of these here and there that I was able to cut out, but these were everywhere - basically the fish was good for nothing but crab bait. Pretty sure these were some kind of larval stage of some kind of worm but not sure what kind. I'm sure thorough cooking would have killed them but the result would have been pretty disgusting. There was no indication on the surface of the fish that it was infected at all. Hope this is not going to be a common occurrence this year

A couple of the coho we caught at Sekiu this past Saturday that had white deposits also... but not as many as you indicate... the worst fish we saw had about 15 in it, they were little, about the size of a grain of rice, they were soft round balls, if you squeezed them they would pop, but it seemed like they had only liquid inside. They were embedded in the flesh. As you say, there was no indication on the outside of the fish, and the fish looked healthy.

I've seen fish with two or three of these deposits before, but never 15, or 100 as you say... yikes!

-N.

A few years back fishing a cowlitz trib. , I had to scrap the bucks I caught. All had puss pockets throughout the meat. Most of the fish I caught that year were hens and none of them had any. Not sure what causes it.

might have been myxobolus ...some people cut them out if there aren't many ....

Here's some pics of what I've described, in two of the fish we caught... both are clipped coho:

Fish #1


Closeup of fish #1


Fish #2


Closeup of fish #2


-N.

Kudoa thyrsites?



Kudoa thyrsites has been recognized as the single most important infectious agent in the farming of Atlantic salmon in BC.

I think I saw a 2 or 3 of those in a silver I caught on the Carbon Monday. Hopefully they won't make you sick if you eat them, because I did.

Those are exactly the critter StorminN. If these are a problem for farmed atlantics could they be something that gets picked up in saltwater as migrating salmon pass by Canadian net pens

Yuk!!!!!!! :p

Pretty common in the silvers going up that river. Over the years, I have caught numerous silvers that had those parasites in them. Full of them just like you described. Usually in the late fish going up the main stem. When they get into the river you can see the bumps all over the bodies of the fish. Too bad as I have had to junk alot of nice fish over the years. Never seen this on any other strain of silvers that I have fished for though.

I've seen them in several fish that I caught in the mainstem chehalis. It was several years ago, but one fish was so infested I fed it to my garden. I figured it might as well be good for something, because I couldn't bring myself to eat it.

The white cysts spawnout is decribing and in is StormiN's photos are the myxosporidian parasite Heneguya Salminicola (same family as Kudoa Thrysites but does not destroy meet to same degree).
The white fluid that expels from the cysts is actually loaded with the parasite spores. H. Salminicola rarely causes mortality in the fish, it just makes the flesh less appetizing. No adverse effects if consumed, just cook up and enjoy with a glass of fine wine.

I dunno....chowing down on puss pockets and tumors....ick!

I found them in a coho I caught on the Chehalis a few years ago. I posted it on the board and no one knew what it was. They were like little pearls, but there not!

You guys would be surprised at the amount of differant parisites there are in the meat of the fish you eat.As some of you know I made a living up in the Berring sea slaughtering our oceans.The Factory proccessors use what is called a candling table to catch the fish with tumors,parisites,etc.It is just a very bright,under lit table.The light shines through the fillet and the infected fish are rejected.Actually it is often made into fish meal or sereme{I do not know how to spell it but basicaly it is the fake crab you see at the grocery store}What I saw was amazing at times.Any time we would fish around a seal rookery the fish would be full of worms.Older fish are prone to have parisites of differant sorts.We used to go out off the petrol banks and get 60 70 lb cod and they would usually be infected with something.It is almost enough to make a guy quit eating fish.But then again do you really want to know what accidently ends up in your smukkers jelly or your ketchup?

Good to see this thread. I wasn't sure what my fish had.

I caught a resident coho fm area 10 last week with the same thing. Exactly like the pics.
20-30 cysts per fillet. The infected fish was definitely the skinniest of the bunch, but by no means unhealthy looking until I filleted it.

Were your infected fish skinnier than your uninfected fish?

What happens to these cysts things when you cook the meat? Are they still visible or do they disappear?

I don't have a problem eating it if its not infectious, but the wife won't go for it if she can see cysts.

Thanks,


Geoduck

I don't think I'd make lox out of that one.

Caught about a 20 lb chinook the other day that had a few in it.
One was about the size of a pencil eraser.Maybe 3/8 of an inch longand a 1/4 inch wide.I cut them out and am planning on making a good meal out of the fillets.

Anybody ever notice the worms???

Almost all fish have worms!! IMHO

Sincerely,
Roger