# Found this while filleting a salmon  what is it?



## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

While filleting a Chinook salmon we caught on 9/6 out of Frankfort, we found this gunk inside where the blood line would usually be. The fish was about 7-8 pounds, football shape you sometimes see on fish of that size. It was a healthy looking fish from the outside, meat looks good, no abnormalities anywhere on the fish of any kind that would indicate something not normal until I flipped the fillet over. 

I was unable to determine sex of the fish (no eggs, no milk). It did have four (4) ~4 alewives in its stomach (the stomach and rest of the entrails are under the fillet in the picture) When caught, it didnt fight like a typical king for the size, came in kind of easy, probably less than 5 minutes from the hook-set (downrigger) to putting the fish in the net. 

I have filleted over 1000 kings in my life and have NEVER seen anything like this before. The pinkish/gray material filled almost the entire abdominal cavity of the fish. The stomach and other entrails were underneath the material and not attached to it. The mystery material went all the way up to the spine. If you look at the material, it seems like it was hollow or had some kind of track through it, almost like a stomach, but it wasnt the stomach. It seemed to be attached to the spine and rib cage on the fish, clearly visible membrane that separated it from 'the guts'. The material was softish and kind of crunchy, Id liken pushing your finger into it as the same kind of feel you get when cutting a crisp cucumber with a sharp knife.

Any ideas?


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## TrapperJohn (Jan 14, 2001)

Kidney Stones.


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

TrapperJohn said:


> Kidney Stones.


Your post lacks sufficient content for me to judge whether you are being serious or speaking in jest. Do you have a documented source to confirm your diagnosis? I'm not an expert on fish anatomy, but did not think the kidneys went all the way from the throat to the vent.

_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors_


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## toto (Feb 16, 2000)

Dude I have no idea what that is, but maybe you could send this picture to mark tonello, you can find him the members section of this site. I'm sure he'd have an idea.


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

toto said:


> Dude I have no idea what that is, but maybe you could send this picture to mark tonello, you can find him the members section of this site. I'm sure he'd have an idea.


Did a quick search and I can't find the guy you mention - name sounds familiar for some reason though. Please forward him the link to this thread; just curious to see what this is.

Had a different fish we caught Saturday 9/3 that also had something weird going on with its blood line - the blood line was solid, had a lot of tan colored specks of something along its whole length that felt gritty, almost like sand. The whole blood line looked like rubber-impregnated cork gasket material when I took the fillet off. One of the other site members here saw it, but I didn't take pics.

Otherwise, both fish looked a-ok. The only other odd instance I have had with a fish was also blood-line related. About 20 years ago I filleted a king that had a 3/8" long shard of clear broken glass in its blood line. I figured it ate the glass at some point and it eventually penetrated its alimentary canal and lodged up under the spine.


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## TA-DAH (Aug 17, 2009)

I think it's something that carlos mencina talks about, All I know is "DEE-DA-DEE!! HA! HA!


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

Did you eat it? I always give my dog a chunk first. If he does not eat it then it goes to the gulls.


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Quack Addict said:


> Did a quick search and I can't find the guy you mention - name sounds familiar for some reason though. Please forward him the link to this thread; just curious to see what this is.
> 
> Had a different fish we caught Saturday 9/3 that also had something weird going on with its blood line - the blood line was solid, had a lot of tan colored specks of something along its whole length that felt gritty, almost like sand. The whole blood line looked like rubber-impregnated cork gasket material when I took the fillet off. One of the other site members here saw it, but I didn't take pics.
> 
> Otherwise, both fish looked a-ok. The only other odd instance I have had with a fish was also blood-line related. About 20 years ago I filleted a king that had a 3/8" long shard of clear broken glass in its blood line. I figured it ate the glass at some point and it eventually penetrated its alimentary canal and lodged up under the spine.


Mark is a DNR biologist that is a member here from northern mich.


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## syxx (Dec 10, 2010)

Robert Holmes said:


> Did you eat it? I always give my dog a chunk first. If he does not eat it then it goes to the gulls.


This is a good method of testing your food, if dog or cat won't touch it, definitely do not!


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## TheCrawdad (May 9, 2009)

I'd pass it off to a friend. If he eats it and doesn't die, keep the next one for yourself. :lol: CDAD


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## redneckman (Dec 7, 2005)

I would contact Mr. Tonello as well.

Look at this link..... http://www.cabi.org/isc/?compid=5&dsid=91845&loadmodule=datasheet&page=481&site=144

Look at the image tab, and the signs and pathology tab.

Redneckman


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## laterilus (Mar 18, 2006)

Couldnt tell ya what it is, but I would put it right on the do not eat list or trash! Nasty looking growth of some sort!


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## Quack Addict (Aug 10, 2006)

WALLEYE MIKE said:


> Mark is a DNR biologist that is a member here from northern mich.


Found him; he has his account set up to not receive private messages.




TheCrawdad said:


> I'd pass it off to a friend. If he eats it and doesn't die, keep the next one for yourself. :lol: CDAD


Do you have access to a dog?


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## WALLEYE MIKE (Jan 7, 2001)

Quack Addict said:


> Found him; he has his account set up to not receive private messages.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Go one the mich DNR website. Should be a list of biologists and thier email.

Or find a post by him and sometime he leaves contact info.


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

WALLEYE MIKE said:


> Go one the mich DNR website. Should be a list of biologists and thier email.
> 
> Or find a post by him and sometime he leaves contact info.


A list.


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## Btek (Jul 15, 2010)

Looks like the area infected is the kidney but kinda hard to tell. The kidney is the dark brown/red organ that runs just underneath the spine and the whole length of it.


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