Edible Fish?

[Torinate]

Hi there.

I know many fish catch and release. However, my question is, are these salmon just as edible (delicious) as the ones purchased from the local store?

Anything to look out for? I know the smaller are better table fare...

Thanks for the info!

Torinate

 

[Dozer]

I will only harvest salmon if they are from the lake or fresh and silver in the river. My father loves to smoke meat and we do salmon once in a while. Always bring home smaller fish for table fare.

 

[CanadianAngler87]

Hi there.

I know many fish catch and release. However, my question is, are these salmon just as edible (delicious) as the ones purchased from the local store?

Anything to look out for? I know the smaller are better table fare...

Thanks for the info!

Torinate

Smaller fish of any species is better for the table. Alot of fish have a mud line. Created from digesting small amounts of dirt over a life time. The older/larger the fish the bigger the mud line. Spawning salmon start to decay once in the river for a while, and are considerd unfit for human consumption due to the pollution in Lake Ontario (learned this from salmotrutta). But people eat McDonalds..cant be much worse..

 

[Rain-Bow]

Grocery fish are much tastier and wayyyyy healthier IMO

 

[Kasim Baluch]

I don't enjoy eating fish but from my girlfriend says or my family when we go keep, they say its really delicious, better then from a local store.... I think its just the fishy taste that some people like to try to get rid of!

 

[Torinate]

Thanks.

Weve always kept / eaten the smaller bass, pike, perch rtc. I've never caught a nice salmon or trout however, so I didn't know.

Much appreciated.

 

[Klamp]

I prefer fish that I've caught over anything bought. Favorite hands-down is Rainbow. I have yet to have a rainbow from any restaurant, supermarket, or otherwise non-caught taste better than what I've hooked and cooked locally. Best bass I had was caught locally and served at the Delta Rocky Crest in Muskoka and was incredibly good. Mileage varies on coho and chinook. Not that they're bad, but it's hit or miss with texture. Some are light tasting with flaky texture while others a little more dense. I suppose it's age/size, not sure.

This guy was caught last summer and it was really tasty despite it's size of 24+ inches.

 

[salmotrutta]

Spawning salmon start to decay once in the river, and are considerd un-fit for human consumption (learned this from this site).

To clarify, these are two separate points.

(1) Salmon start to decay once in the river and
(2) Salmon are considered unfit for human consumption

They are considered unfit for human consumption due to the pollution in Lake Ontario.

That they start to decay once in the river is true, but not immediately to the point where their flesh becomes rotten suddenly. You will know if the salmon you caught in the river is decayed, because it will be moldy on the outside.

Believe it or not, very late in the season last year, I saw two guys chasing the 1 or 2 remaining chinook left in the section of Willy between the tracks and foot bridge, with a net, in jeans! They got soaked, but somehow they managed to get one in their net. It was decaying. They kept it I tried explaining to them that earlier in the season there were fresher fish, but their English was poor and they seemed quite content to take their catch home...

 

[CanadianAngler87]

To clarify, these are two separate points.

(1) Salmon start to decay once in the river and
(2) Salmon are considered unfit for human consumption

They are considered unfit for human consumption due to the pollution in Lake Ontario.

That they start to decay once in the river is true, but not immediately to the point where their flesh becomes rotten suddenly. You will know if the salmon you caught in the river is decayed, because it will be moldy on the outside.

Believe it or not, very late in the season last year, I saw two guys chasing the 1 or 2 remaining chinook left in the section of Willy between the tracks and foot bridge, with a net, in jeans! They got soaked, but somehow they managed to get one in their net. It was decaying. They kept it I tried explaining to them that earlier in the season there were fresher fish, but their English was poor and they seemed quite content to take their catch home...

Thank you for clearing that up for me. Are the fish caught by charters out in the lake downrigging unfit for consuption?

 

[salmotrutta]

Going by the MNR's Guide to Eating Sportfish, fully grown Lake Ontario salmon are unfit for consumption due to pollution.

Lake Huron has different consumption regulations, where a certain # of meals per month of fully grown salmon or trout is fine.

 

[CanadianAngler87]

Going by the MNR's Guide to Eating Sportfish, Lake Ontario salmon are unfit for consumption due to pollution.

Lake Huron has different consumption regulations, where a certain # of meals per month of salmon or trout is fine.

I dont keep much fish, just good to know. Thank you for the education.

 

[rocheleauc]

Going by the MNR's Guide to Eating Sportfish, Lake Ontario salmon are unfit for consumption due to pollution.

Lake Huron has different consumption regulations, where a certain # of meals per month of salmon or trout is fine.

http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@ene/@resources/documents/resource/std01_078664.pdf

 

[salmotrutta]

I should add that the guide itself seems somewhat dubious. 0 for white perch in the Toronto Waterfront Area for women and children, but 4 meals for a 30" pike?

They can only test for major pollutants, and obviously not all of the harmful toxins will show up in their tests.

 

[Rain-Bow]

Believe it or not, very late in the season last year, I saw two guys chasing the 1 or 2 remaining chinook left in the section of Willy between the tracks and foot bridge, with a net, in jeans! They got soaked, but somehow they managed to get one in their net. It was decaying. They kept it I tried explaining to them that earlier in the season there were fresher fish, but their English was poor and they seemed quite content to take their catch home...

I might have seen those guys there before. Dark skinned middle eastern guys carrying a net right? I'm guessing they don't know the fish are decaying!

 

[Klamp]

Going by the MNR's Guide to Eating Sportfish, fully grown Lake Ontario salmon are unfit for consumption due to pollution.

Lake Huron has different consumption regulations, where a certain # of meals per month of fully grown salmon or trout is fine.

I'm glad you cleared that up. A blanket statement like "Salmon are considered unfit for human consumption" is terribly misleading. The range for consumption of Chinook, for example, goes from none all the way up to 8 per month (their highest rating).

 

[CanadianAngler87]

The range for consumption of Chinook, for example, goes from none all the way up to 8 per month (their highest rating).

I dont think I've ever seen a Salmon 12-14" except smaller fry in the river. But i guess they have to be that size at some point.

 

[Klamp]

Grocery fish are much tastier and wayyyyy healthier IMO

Just curious, what do you base that statement on?

 

[Rain-Bow]

Based on the MNR's guide to eating sportfish.

 

[Klamp]

Based on the MNR's guide to eating sportfish.

Wouldn't you agree that's illogical without something to reference supermarket fish contaminants?

We all know that things like canned tuna are bad news. But a lot of 'fresh fish' sold in the supermarkets is 'farmed'. There's plenty of research in that area now.

Here's one good study: http://www.albany.edu/ihe/salmonstudy/summary.html

And part of another:

I can point you to a ton of scientific research on fish and contaminants, or any meat for that matter. I like my friends to be well informed, then make the call on where you get your fish/meat.

 

[Rain-Bow]

Wild Lake Ontario salmon are what I mean, not wild Ocean salmon. Lake Ontario salmon present much more danger to human health than ocean or farmed salmon.