Many anglers are ready to catch and eat fish during the Minnesota fishing season. As you gather supplies together, remember to pack the right equipment to keep fish from spoiling. Fish tastes “fishy” when it hasn’t been handled properly. Because of its high protein content, fish spoils quickly. Use a metal mesh basket or a live well and keep fish under water in the lake or river to keep them alive. Stringers can damage the flesh and increase the chance of bacteria contamination. Fish stored in buckets of water use the limited amount of oxygen quickly and die. Spoilage begins as soon as the fish dies. Cleaning Scale, gut and remove the head and fins when cleaning your fish. Wash thoroughly and drain. Ice is the key to fresh tasting fish. Chill and store fish in crushed ice. One pound of ice for each 2 pounds of fish is a good rule of thumb. Freeze small fish whole by placing the fish in a single layer in a freezer container. Cover the fish with cold water and freeze. Freeze fish at 0 degrees F or lower. The Minnesota Sea Grant found fish stored at 15 degrees F for as little as two weeks showed a significant loss of quality. Cooking Cooking fish destroys harmful bacteria and parasites. Outbreaks of the broad fish tapeworm infections in humans have occurred from eating uncooked pickled pike. The larvae of the broad fish tapeworm passes through smaller fish until they lodge as hatched small worms in the flesh of larger species like northern pike, walleyed pike, sand pike, burbot and yellow perch. This worm, if eaten, can attach to the small intestine and grow to lengths of 10-30 feet. Don’t eat raw fish unless it has been frozen for 48 hours to destroy parasites. Freeze fish at 0 degrees F for 48 hours before pickling. Don’t overcook your fish. Cooking fish at too high a temperature or for too long a time toughens it, dries it out and destroys the flavor. Insert a fork into the thickest part of the fish and lift up to see if the fish is white throughout, or cook to 155 degrees F as measured by a food thermometer. Before you live solely on fish for the summer, review the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) 2004 fish consumption advisories. These are based on the level of mercury and PCBs found in fish from Minnesota’s lakes and rivers. These advisories are available at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/index.html or call toll-free (800) 657-3908 to order the brochure, “Eat Fish Often?” Lake survey reports and site-specific recommendations can be found at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/eh/fish/eating/site specific.html.
