Tape worm? in Chinook

[Rockfish]

Something has been bothering me since cleaning a Chinook recently at the dock. We noticed on the cleaning bench that there was a 5 inch flat worm about a quarter inch wide that I suspect was a tape worm and I think came out of our salmon. I have cleaned and seen cleaned a lot of salmon but that is a first. Kind of freaked me out. Anyone else seen this?

 

[tortuga]

Saw one in the guts of one this year.
Bothered me for a while too. East coast fish.

 

[Derby]

Get them in my spring 4 or 5 time a year....not a pretty thing...

 

[cheech]

Seen them more than a few times up north at the lodge last season. Still squirming too.

 

[Seafever]

if it has "garden worm" type head and tail end......I don't think it's a tape-worm.

tape-worms have an ugly head on one end.

 

[tubber]

I heard about a young guide that ate some freshly caught chinook sushi out at sea that likely had larval tapeworms which are common in species that migrate to freshwater. He was losing weight and feeling lousy when the doc gave him the medicine to pass the now 5 foot adult worm. All salmon (and halibut) sushi should be frozen first is my understanding.

 

[Kildonan]

Too bad you can't sell those suckers on the home shopping network as a weight loss gimmick!! Or maybe you can. Hmmm.......

Dragon's Den here I come.

 

[Rockfish]

This thing was moving slowly and was decidedly ribbon like. It was not round on any part and I don’t remember a head but it may have lost it during the cleaning or else I did not notice it.

I have heard that good sushi is frozen to very low temperatures necessary to kill the parasites, especially some stages of them.

I understand the required temperature is not attainable with some, especially home freezers. Even then people do rarely get parasites from sushi. I love sushi but would never eat it fresh or even home frozen.

I have also read you should wash your hands very well after cleaning fish or any animal. I once watched a doctor field dress a deer with surgical latex gloves on. As I understand it they can make you very sick, get in your brain and eyes, even kill you and sometimes you cannot get rid of them.

 

[fish stalker]

ok you guys are freakin me out here. **** out a 5 ft tape worm!? I started eating sockeye raw last year omg soo good. I saw someone here brings wasabi and soysauce on board and was starting to think that was a good idea.. tape worm diet here I come lol yuk never thought of larva ahhh even the word is gross

 

[FishNmemories]

On El Nino years, the springs on the westcoast Van Is. were loaded with tape worms. The springs were thin in the belly flaps, skinny, and overall in poor shape with little fight in them. In the springs' stomach were herring that also had tape worms in their stomach. The old saying, "that you are what you eat" was apparently true. Not sure how the herring ingested the tape worms though...

Edit: I just read Fish Stalker's post, please disregard, "you are what you eat"....probably not true

 

[fish stalker]

Nope its true, im a sockeye, im just on here finding out your tactics so I dont end up on a naked asians girl body in some bar somewhere wrapped in rice.

 

[pwport]

Those tape worms...man, that would explain why I never gain any weight (ongoing joke as I can eat a feast, and lose weight during the meal ..my wife hates it as she gains weight just looking at food).

 

[Steelhead S2]

Salmon will carry tape worms. Saw lots while trolling the Charlottes. They carry a variety of species. Not sure if they will take up residence in a human gut, but I definitely err on the side of caution. I talked to a biologist about this a few years back, but I don't remember the details any more. It was a "social" conversation.

 

[Rockfish]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/feb/7/20070207-111134-1360r/

http://www.healthinplainenglish.com/health/infectious_diseases/tapeworm/

 

[lordofthesprings]

I've seen a lot of them even twenty years ago when i cleaned fish on a troller it does seem like some yrs are worse than others I've heard its a diff kind of worm and humans can't get it? defiantly gross makes me be extra carful when slicing up the belly - and fish is supposed to be frozen first at low temp for sushi

 

[profisher]

See them all the time...up to 50% of the springs I catch. Often the guts are loaded and honestly they don't seem to be effecting the fish much. They appear normal and healthy. The gulls and seals seem to be able to handle them ok. lol They are gross...however they are contained inside the stomach so it doesn't bother me when I cook one of those fish up. Never see them in the other species.

 

[Rockfish]

I've seen a lot of them even twenty years ago when i cleaned fish on a troller it does seem like some yrs are worse than others I've heard its a diff kind of worm and humans can't get it? defiantly gross makes me be extra carful when slicing up the belly - and fish is supposed to be frozen first at low temp for sushi

"Fish tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum)
This type of tapeworm infection can be found in Europe, Japan, North and South America, as well as in certain parts of Africa.
Fish tapeworm infection occurs by eating raw or undercooked freshwater fish, including salmon. Inside the intestine, it can grow up to 25 feet in length".

It looks like Humans can get this from salmon. The above is from the Health site link I posted.

I am going to be more careful when I remove the stomach and entrails.

 

[dmurph]

They say you should freeze all salmon before eating , raw or cooked. I prepare some of the salmon I catch as sashimi, I have been told it must be frozen for atleast 28 hours first. I always bleed and clean right away on the boat and put on ice , if I am low on ice I never sashimi them even if frozen for 48 hrs. My wife does the filleting and the sockeye had a lot of worms in general.

 

[VanCity Tyee]

Is this by any chance a tapeworm??? caught this in ucluelet last year

 

[profisher]

Yep that one took a wrong turn.