Critter Question

[swamprat1954]

i was wondering if anyone might know what little worm looking critter hangs on to the fins of walleyes? they are gray and white (after sitting in cooler overnight)tough little buggers still alive after 15 hours in a cooler on good ice.
i have been ask this question and really do have a clue.are the harmful ?
just wondering.

[shadow7663]

Not sure what they are but I have saw them on a couple perch earlier this year. When I opened up the perch to clean them, They had what looked like a "cancer" growing in the gut area but not in the meat. It also stunk to high HELL. I did not chance eating and wasted the fish. I dont know if it had anything to do with critters that you describe on them or not.

[River Rat]

i believe what you guys are talking about are a parisite called a nemmatode they are in all fish and they are harmless

[shadow7663]

After doing just a quick search, It is possible that what I dealt with is called "anchor worms".

Here is Link to what I found, Again this was just a quick search so dont hold me to it.......:lol:

[ficious]

I have had them on lake fish in my aquarium, they seem to be harmless parasites. The fish don't seem too bothered by them and I'm sure the fish are safe to eat. They seem to lead a lifestyle similar to leeches.

Harry

[sportsnut44]

Harmless Parasite.

Isn't That A Good Nick Name For For Nick?


A Small Harmless Worm Just Hanging Out And Riding All Of The Big Fish.

[Ed Michrina]

Shadow the guts of a perch can stink real bad if they have been eating snails for a few days.

[Mike Thomas]

I think that you most likely are seeing small leeches attached to the fins. Over the past three or four years, we've seen walleye with small gray, light tan, or cream colored leeches attached to the fins. These parasites are about .5 to 1 inch long. Sometimes a single fish will have 10 to 20 leeches attached to each pectoral and pelvic fin. Other times there may be only one or two attached. Often in a sample of walleye from a single location, there will be 1 or 2 fish out of 10 that have leeches attached. We have sent specimens of the leeches to Michigan State for identification, but haven't heard anything back yet. At this point, I don't think it's anything to be alarmed about. - Mike Thomas, MDNR, Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station