Cancerous growth in our Ling Cod? What is this?

[Grant_J]

 

[Grant_J]

It has the consistency of liver, and not a worm. Very weird.

 

[Rain City]

It has the consistency of liver, and not a worm. Very weird.

Barf

 

[Grant_J]

More searches on Google - maybe a cyst from parasites. Wife won’t touch it, I’m not sure I want to eat it either! LOL Such a waste it’s a big Ling.

 

[Deepaaaar]

While I don't know what that nasty thing is, I would bet my kayak that you can eat the rest of the fish without any problems as long as you cook it. Personally, I'd just cut it out and scour the rest for other nasty bits, then make fish tacos.

 

[cby]

Its probably an old injury. Seen it many times. Just cut it out. The rest should be fine.

 

[Grant_J]

There are also smaller rice size bits elsewhere on the one side.

 

[tinboatrobb]

How big was the ling? We don't keep anything over 15lbs as they start getting wormy after that.

 

[RiverBoy]

x2 on old injury. they attack each other all the time.

 

[Rain City]

How big was the ling? We don't keep anything over 15lbs as they start getting wormy after that.

I've had an 8lber full of worms, while the MUCH bigger one I kept that same day had none.

 

[SpringVelocity]

Ewwwwww

 

[Ringo]

If your wife isn’t touching the fish, does it still matter what we think? Just throw the thing out and catch another one tomorrow.

 

[Grant_J]

How big was the ling? We don't keep anything over 15lbs as they start getting wormy after that.

70cm and about 6.5lbs

 

[Manolaki]

Cut it out and eat the rest.

 

[Maxpri]

I've had an 8lber full of worms, while the MUCH bigger one I kept that same day had none.

Agreed, I’ve kept a 25 with no issues at all.

 

[RBL]

Did it have a scar on the skin side?

 

[Grant_J]

Did it have a scar on the skin side?

Nothing super obvious

 

[Karlo]

Lingcod are subject to all kinds of parasites, and also live in a wound-rich environment. Aside from their predacious relatives nipping at them, it's not unusual to find broken-off sea urchin spines embedded in the flesh. Contact with the spines of rockfish could also cause festering in the flesh.

I'd go with the "cut out the bad bit, then cook it well" option. You could add insurance by freezing it for a couple of months first. If you're really worried, after freezing it, you could brine it and smoke it.

I'm with the recommendation to put back lings over 15-20 pounds. While you will certainly find worms in smaller fish, and also parasite-free big ones, the odds are not in your favor with larger fish. The really big ones are female breeders in any case. I shake my head when I see outfitters advertising "Trophy Lingcod". I love lingcod on my plate, but I wouldn't want one on the bedroom wall.

 

[tinboatrobb]

Lingcod are subject to all kinds of parasites, and also live in a wound-rich environment. Aside from their predacious relatives nipping at them, it's not unusual to find broken-off sea urchin spines embedded in the flesh. Contact with the spines of rockfish could also cause festering in the flesh.

I'd go with the "cut out the bad bit, then cook it well" option. You could add insurance by freezing it for a couple of months first. If you're really worried, after freezing it, you could brine it and smoke it.

I'm with the recommendation to put back lings over 15-20 pounds. While you will certainly find worms in smaller fish, and also parasite-free big ones, the odds are not in your favor with larger fish. The really big ones are female breeders in any case. I shake my head when I see outfitters advertising "Trophy Lingcod". I love lingcod on my plate, but I wouldn't want one on the bedroom wall.

Also the big ones are breeders, why take them?