Humane Handling of Fish Before Cleaning

[fowldreams]

When it comes to walleyes anyway on a large body of water like LOTW we always throw the fish in a cooler of ice. Live well or not temp in there is definetly warmer then the depth the fish were pulled from. The pounding around in a small space doesnt help either. Everyone has a different approach, end all is the meal on the table .

[Hookey]

Griff no problem , the phrases were used to gear my reply toward the poster. I don't recall if I did but I ment to preface those phrases with if you think. I was just trying to hear them out.

The poster used the words Humane and fish in the same sentence all I was trying to get across was if you choose to keep a fish and are worried about being humane then kill it once off the hook and be done with it.

I whole heartedly agree with the fact that keeping them alive until they reach the cutting board will insure the fish is fresh and will not spoil. I did learn here that you can cut the gills and ice them and they will also be fresh. I Really like that idea and will put it to practice this summer. If a person is worried about humanity then killing and icing seems to be the bet option of all the posts I read here.

I think everyone gets a bit wide eyed the first few times they clean fish or game. Often people view nature through What you call Disney eyes and to a point I think it is good if it is out of respect for game. As far as fish having emotions or other traights that would require being humane. I don't know , I doubt it but I don't know.

[TyGuy02]

I don't quite understand all the need for fussin. Livewell or cooler, I've done them both and they work great. Straight to the knife. I guess I've never seen the purpose of "bleeding out" or "whackin". I'm a clumsy person and giving the fish a whack with the butt of the knife would be more risky than filleting a live fish. Still never cut myself, knocking on wood! I will say the ice filled cooler is nice for the toothy pike. Just enough cold to keep them from floppin.

IMHO the best way to respect the fish and the amazing trials it's been through to get big enough to wind up on my plate is by ensuring it's not wantonly wasted.

I couldn't agree more! I've had fish go bad one time that I didn't fillet right away, and if that doesn't make a man feel guilty they need to get their head checked.

[amateurfishing]

a dedicated cooler of ice for fish only, especially in summer when water is warmer, fish on ice will taste better and prevent spoilage quicker than anything else. coming from restaurant biz, i would not ever store fish any other way than on ice, for ice fishing the ice is already there, my live well is extra tackle storage, my perfect boat would have nice tackle storage and any other room would b insulated for ice storage (aka fish, beverages, lunch, etc) after all that is what the pros do related to salmon, tuna, etc, cut head off, gut, bleed, then on ice within 5 minutes of landing on boat

[Alagnak]

I couldn't agree more with how to take care of fish except stressing the importance of bleeding. You're crazy if u think boiling in hot surface water and stressing out in a livewell while still 'alive' is better than ice. Did someone really ask how to cut the gills?

a dedicated cooler of ice for fish only, especially in summer when water is warmer, fish on ice will taste better and preventing spoilage quicker than anything else. coming from restaurant biz, i would not ever store fish any other way than on ice, for ice fishing the ice is already there, my live well is extra tackle storage, my perfect boat would have nice tackle storage and any other room would b insulated for ice storage (aka fish, beverages, lunch, etc) after all that is what the pros do related to salmon, tuna, etc, cut head off, gut, bleed, then on ice within 5 minutes of landing on boat

[bogwalker]

Alagnak, Yes I really did ask a question. Imagine that, asking a question on a forum.

[Walleyehooker]

Do you kill a lobster before you throw it in a pot of boiling water? I may knock a fish in the head so it doesnt flop around to fillet it but thats about it. Man up

[Alagnak]

Are any of the words in the phrase ' cut the gills' descriptive enough to get an idea of what that might mean? Sorry to be an A-hole but I don't agree with those that claim there are no stupid questions. Sorry. If you didn't have a knife u can also just rip a gill off with your finger.

Alagnak, Yes I really did ask a question. Imagine that, asking a question on a forum.

[bogwalker]

Alagnak,You describe yourself very well.

[Alagnak]

Thank you sir :-)

Alagnak,You describe yourself very well.

[kiowa]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the ideas and suggestions very much. I was surprised by the amount of dialog that my post spawned, but looking back at how I phrased my topic header, maybe I shouldn’t be.

When I posted my question I was hoping to learn how other fisherman handled their fish in that situation. To that end I learned a lot, and will employ some of those suggestions in the hopefully near future.

Paramount to me, and what I want to convey to my daughter who has just begun to fish, is that the animals we are harvesting should be treated with respect and without any undo suffering.

[BobT]

Quote:

Are any of the words in the phrase ' cut the gills' descriptive enough to get an idea of what that might mean? Sorry to be an A-hole but I don't agree with those that claim there are no stupid questions. Sorry.

There are a couple old sayings that I think apply here.

1. Common sense is not so common.

2. Before I learned how to ride a bicycle...I didn't know how to ride a bicycle.

3. 'Tis better to remain silent and let others think of you as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

There are never stupid questions but I'm beginning to understand what a stupid answer might sound like. Anyone that is that full of themselves to think that offering an answer to someone's question is beneath themselves would probably be best off not saying anything. And I'm not sorry for pointing this out. We’re here to help each other by sharing our knowledge and experience, not criticize each other for asking questions.

[BobT]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate the ideas and suggestions very much. I was surprised by the amount of dialog that my post spawned, but looking back at how I phrased my topic header, maybe I shouldn’t be.

When I posted my question I was hoping to learn how other fisherman handled their fish in that situation. To that end I learned a lot, and will employ some of those suggestions in the hopefully near future.

Paramount to me, and what I want to convey to my daughter who has just begun to fish, is that the animals we are harvesting should be treated with respect and without any undo suffering.

I like your attitude.

[Hookey]

There is always plenty of dialog . Your subject line accurately reflects what you were trying to do.

Maybe if people knew the question was written by a father for his daughter the replies would have been a bit less blunt.

When a parent sees those eyes get big as they watch you clean a flopping fish you have to wonder what the kid is thinking. As someone mentioned kids are taught to view nature through the eyes of Disney. As you know it is your duty to teach her the reality of where food comes from. Sounds like you have a good handle on the task at hand and you will succeed at making a sportsmen out of her !

Enjoy, they grow up quick.

[IamZombie]

a dedicated cooler of ice for fish only, especially in summer when water is warmer, fish on ice will taste better and prevent spoilage quicker than anything else. coming from restaurant biz, i would not ever store fish any other way than on ice

This is what my cousin down south does, and I think the live well gets used for bait. Live shrimp in this case.

[bogwalker]

One thing that stinks about getting old is that you tend to outlive many of your brain cells. A nice thing about forums is that you can ask "stupid questions" without anybody giving you the look. The knowledge I have gained on this forum far outweighs the insults.

[Down Deep]

YES. This is a good answer and the main reason I enjoy the FM forums.

[amateurfishing]

i totally agree with bogwalker & down deep, too me it is great to ask questions "faceless", the only other place i could probably do that especially for boat related questions is at a dealer & telling them i am brand new and looking to get a boat. i have asked questions at bait shops b4 something as simple difference between crappie minnows/shiners and i got looks like i was from mars. i want to learn the most i can and share with my kids and explain reasons while teaching them. i am 44 and did not get that specialized info while growing up. apparently when someone my age asks a very basic question sometimes, some think you are just stupid, lazy, or nuts. but when you tell them you want to buy something to learn bout it, they will show you the entire barn

[seasock]

Nothing like gaining most of ones knowledge from a panel of self proclaimed experts that are faceless and sitting behind a keyboard.

[bogwalker]

Nothing like gaining most of ones knowledge from a panel of self proclaimed experts that are faceless and sitting behind a keyboard.

"Most of ones knowledge", "Self proclaimed experts", Man are you wrong!

[Hookey]

10-4. Obviously everyone has a opinion and many would like to be a expert but I think we are all old enough to know that there are few, on ANY subject. This is a good place to get Lots of opinions then sift through them and soak up what you want. Expect to get flamed for your opinion as well as your questions it is much better than having your post ignored. Don't take anything personal even if you ask a question there are many others wondering the same.

[Northlander]

Just before I head in I cut the lower gill/throat area on my fish and bleed them out in the livewell. That way when I get back the fish are dead and it makes for nice clean filleting.

[bogwalker]

Thanks Northlander.

[Sonicrunch]

For me, if the fish has been out of water for a while, it is surely unconscious, even if it flips and flops occasionally.

Nevertheless, I give em a knock on the head before cutting.

[GotALunker]

This is my take on the humane treatment of animals, fish, etc...I'm not some crazy tree hugging looney either...just want to disclaim that.

I've traditionally done most of my fishing in the winter...and I'll even go so far as knocking the fish unconcious before I toss it on the ice. then the fish doesn't realize it's freezing to death. In the boat...again, prefer to knock it out.

I'm 32 and I was raised where I was not even allowed to have a BB gun. reason being: bb guns dont generally kill they injure and maim - at least in the hands of an untrained youth. We were raised that if you were going to shoot something, you shoot to kill so the animal doesn't have to suffer. And if you kill it, you better be prepared to eat it because the animal isn't there to be wasted - it is a resource to be used and respected. unless of course it's a varmint or like a crow or something

For me letting a fish to flop around on the ice or in the boat would would be the same unfortunate reality as a mortally wounded anything lying in pain waiting to die. Better to put the said live, organism out of it's misery so as not to suffer a long and painful death but rather a short, quick death. I think this is basic respect. the ONLY exception I make to this is baitfish. i never throw them back.