parasites/codworms

[codcatcher3000]

, hi all,

im sure some of ya noticed that ya get them parasites in whiting and cod. i surely have but somehow realised i only see it in mackerel cod and whiting . yet too see one when gutting pollack or coalfish . could this be because the cod and whiting are more of a bottom feeder than the coalie/pollack?

 

[Stewart 1971]

I've never noticed them to be honest, but then again I always gut my fish pretty much straight away (bash over the head, cut the gill rakers to bleed out for 5 minutes then out with the guts). AFAIK the worms live in the guts of the fish when it is alive and only migrate to the flesh once the fish is dead so the sooner you get the guts out the less chance of worms in the fillets

 

[onefortheroad]

you get a lot of flesh worms in kelp cod , so I guess your correct , its something they contract from swimming close to kelp and the bottom etc. if you let the fillets stand in fresh water overnight the worms do rise to the surface , I usually just throw them out tbh .

 

[bandit]

you get a lot of flesh worms in kelp cod , so I guess your correct , its something they contract from swimming close to kelp and the bottom etc. if you let the fillets stand in fresh water overnight the worms do rise to the surface , I usually just throw them out tbh .

The worms you find in fish are worse in areas heavily populated by seals they basically pick them up from eating the seals ****. Can't remember the exact cycle but basically they lay their eggs in the seals stomach which then ****s them out, the fish pick up the eggs when feeding amongst the **** where they grow in side of the fish, then the seals come along feed on the fish with the worms growing inside it and the cycle begins again

 

[codhunter40]

Used to catch alot of whiting down hartlepool full of worms, some even had balls of them hanging onto their gills! Also read its related to parasites in the sea s**t. Greatham creek full of seals so it makes sense to me.. Know one thing, I dont eat them any more!

 

[codcatcher3000]

The worms you find in fish are worse in areas heavily populated by seals they basically pick them up from eating the seals ****. Can't remember the exact cycle but basically they lay their eggs in the seals stomach which then ****s them out, the fish pick up the eggs when feeding amongst the **** where they grow in side of the fish, then the seals come along feed on the fish with the worms growing inside it and the cycle begins again

i always knew they was an explanation for the subtle yet complex flavours of this lovely fish.

 

[Ray.J.]

I find them in a few cod I get! One of my bigger ones the other night had about 3 in it! It was a darker fish and I think it had come away from the rock ends to feed along the beach! I just pull them out with my filleting knife no problems! I suppose I might think again about eating it if it were infested with the things!!
How many times have you got a fish from the chippy and found a 'brown mark' in the flesh? Extra protein!!!

 

[Stewart 1971]

i always knew they was an explanation for the subtle yet complex flavours of this lovely fish.

Back when I was a young lad the mines were still open and the sh1t pipes still emptied unfiltered waste less than 100 yards off the high tide line. There was a pipe just south of Dene Holme at Horden and my personal favourite by the Green Wall at Seaham - fishing the Southy you could play guess the brand of Johnny as they floated past on the tide and quite often there would be little (and not so little) brown nuggets on the high tide line of the beach that used to exist in front of the Green Wall back then

 

[wonmorehoy]

The worms start off their cycle when the eggs are laid in the gut of a seal by the adult worm. They pass out with the seal droppings.

Shrimps then feed on the droppings and take in the eggs, which hatch in the shrimp.

The shrimp is them eaten by a cod and the junior worms move from the cod's gut into the meat around the side of the gut cavity, where they live on the cod until the cod is eaten by a seal and the worms mature inside the seal and lay their eggs and so on and so on.

That's why in the old days you would get people in fish & chip shops asking for a tail end when ordering cod - the worms tend to be in the parts of the body nearest the gut cavity, ie away from the tail end.

It makes no difference whether the cod is gutted straight away or not as far as the worms go - they are in the meat when the cod is alive. It's still a good idea to gut the fish straight away in case it's been feeding on stuff that will decompose quickly and taint the flesh.

You tend to get fewer worms in cod that are caught away from seal colonies than you do with cod that spend their time nearer the seals.

 

[g-force]

I think there was a thread about this a few months back, but I can't find it - anyway, there are two main types of parasite: the "cod worm" & "herring worm", the herring worm being the ones you commonly find in mackerel & whiting and both can be found in cod…more info here:

Round Worms in Fish

Gary

 

[RossW]

They definitely don't thrive in primates like youz lot, lads, especially after being pan-fried for ten minutes!!!! Divvent worry about the occasional gut worm ..

 

[codcatcher3000]

They definitely don't thrive in primates like youz lot, lads, especially after being pan-fried for ten minutes!!!! Divvent worry about the occasional gut worm ..

defo not a worry mate. just for discussion and knowledge improvement... just that having gutted alot of fish species. i only notice them oin cod /whitey n macky and just wondering why them three are more susceptible .

 

[RossW]

It is off-putting, must admit. Interesting to hear about the seal-crap theory. I've also heard that the worms/eggs originate in porpoise and dolphin excrement. Personally speaking, I've found that the whiting caught from rivers/estuaries are more riddled with gutworm...

 

[Juliogeordio]

I've seen the worms in most fish... mackerel are normally riddled with them in the summer months so I guess that means as a mid water / high water feeding fish then the likelyhood is coalies and pollock will also be riddled. My guess is that cod and whiting are more often kept for the pan so they gt noticed more often... puts me right off eating them lol

 

[metallica fish]

When i was young i remember pulling a 'worm' out of a piece of cod. Ate the rest like

 

[on the mark]

I've seen the worms in most fish... mackerel are normally riddled with them in the summer months so I guess that means as a mid water / high water feeding fish then the likelyhood is coalies and pollock will also be riddled. My guess is that cod and whiting are more often kept for the pan so they gt noticed more often... puts me right off eating them lol

yeah i've seen a lot of coalies full of worms, allways thought they were liver worms?

 

[LiamNE]

Ling are terrible for them, by far the worst in my experience - so I guess the theory of bottom feeders stands up.

I know a few people who arnt bothered by them and cook em up all the same, I couldn't do it like.

 

[codcatcher3000]

guess as long as the fish aint for sashimi and done the regular way if cooking it with batter its nothing to worry about then .....i have found the worms on top of fillets when defrosting them in the past...must say it doesnt bother me .

 

[Winton]

Seen a few caught off the piers slime coated worm like thing

 

[LiamNE]

guess as long as the fish aint for sashimi and done the regular way if cooking it with batter its nothing to worry about then .....i have found the worms on top of fillets when defrosting them in the past...must say it doesnt bother me .

Yea, long as it is cooked I cant see it being a bother.

Just a mental/visual thing for me when it comes to parasites.